Cheyenne Drug Dealer Sentenced to 70 Months in Federal Prison

A Cheyenne drug dealer who was arrested earlier this year has been sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and use of a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime, the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Wyoming announced late Monday afternoon.

Case Background

According to a booking sheet, on Feb. 3, Corey Michael Thacker, 37, was pulled over in the area of West College Drive and South Parsley Boulevard after police clocked him doing 60 miles per hour in a 50-mph zone.

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Police say Thacker didn't have a driver's license or proof of insurance on him, and as they were checking his driving status, a certified drug detection K-9 conducted a free-air sniff of Thacker's SUV and alerted them to the presence of controlled substances.

Police say when they asked Thacker to step out of the SUV, he told them there was a loaded handgun on his right side, and they removed a loaded Ruger LCP .380 from his hip holster, to which he acknowledged needing for protection as a drug dealer.

When police searched Thacker's SUV, they reportedly found 31.52 grams of fentanyl pills,13.47 grams of methamphetamine, a digital scale, plastic packaging materials, and $2,200.

Police say a criminal history check showed Thacker was convicted of felony assault with a motor vehicle in New Jersey in 2016.

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Through their investigation, police learned Thacker’s drug activity was linked to his neighbor, Scott VanGoethen, who would drive to Colorado to obtain large amounts of methamphetamine, then sell it to Thacker for redistribution.

VanGoethen was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison on Sept. 30.

RELATED: Cheyenne Man Gets 12 Years for Meth and Gun Crimes

According to the USAO, Thacker was arrested on March 6, pleaded guilty on July 15, and was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Kelly H. Rankin on Nov. 7.

Thacker will be subject to three years of supervised release once he's released from prison.