Evergreen man charged with dealing prescription drugs

An Evergreen man was arrested March 23 after officers allegedly recovered “voluminous amounts” of narcotics and cash from his home.

Richard Philip Gonzales, 62, was charged with criminal distribution of dangerous drugs.

Gonzales had allegedly been traveling to California and bringing back Oxycontin, Dilaudid and Hydrocodone to sell in the Flathead Valley.

According to the police report, detectives acted on a tip to track the purchase of $1,000 worth of Oxycontin. After the pills were confirmed to be the schedule II dangerous drug, law enforcement conducted a search of Gonzales’ residence, where they allegedly found a large amount of narcotic drugs and cash.

Prior to his arrest, Gonzales was reportedly picked up on a warrant in Las Vegas, Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry told the Daily Inter Lake. The Evergreen man has reportedly posted bond since his arrest.

The sheriff said the going rate for an Oxycontin is about $10 to $15 per pill. The value of the drug shifts variably with the availability of heroin, he said. Prescription opioids and heroin produce similar effects, so drug users will often switch to whichever drug is available to feed their addictions, Curry said.

Reporter Breeana Laughlin can be reached at 758-4441 or blaughlin@dailyinterlake.com.