Missoula, Montana – A multijurisdictional investigation that began in 2023 has ended with the prosecution of 13 defendants connected to a drug trafficking network that stretched from the Netherlands and Mexico into several parts of the United States.
Known as Operation Windmill, the investigation targeted an organization accused of moving illegal drugs into Montana, Arizona, Texas and Washington. Homeland Security Investigations, IRS Criminal Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation were among the agencies involved.
Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said all 13 defendants were arrested and successfully prosecuted, with the final defendant receiving his sentence this week.
Authorities identified 41-year-old Gerad Punch, a U.S. citizen who was living in the Netherlands, as the person running the organization. Investigators said he worked closely with Bernard Cowley Glass Jr., 39, of Phoenix, who helped move fentanyl supplied from Mexico into Montana, Washington and Texas.
Punch received a 20-year federal prison sentence in February 2026. Glass was sentenced last month to 15 years behind bars.
Investigation began with fentanyl shipments into Butte
Investigators first became aware of Punch’s Montana operation in October 2023 after receiving information about a person known as “Jeremy Holbrook,” who was allegedly bringing large quantities of fentanyl pills into Butte.
As investigators followed the information, they discovered that Jeremy Holbrook was an alias used by Punch while operating in Montana. Authorities determined that illegal drugs had been shipped into the state since at least earlier in 2023.
According to court documents, Punch began developing his drug network after spending time in prison in 2018. While incarcerated, he met another inmate who later connected him with a drug supplier based in Phoenix.
Authorities said the Phoenix supplier obtained drugs from Mexico and supplied fentanyl to Punch and Punch’s brother, Dwayne Nyron Punch, who was also living in Phoenix.
Punch later expanded into Montana after one of his Washington dealers introduced him to Brooke Rose Louise Cardonia. Cardonia was from Rocker and had connections with dealers in western Montana through another defendant, Sadie Cheryl Sawyer.
A source in Butte eventually told investigators that Punch frequently sent drug shipments through the mail and that a package was expected to arrive in Helena.
That information brought the United States Postal Inspection Service into the investigation. Postal inspectors began examining packages believed to have been sent by Punch to Montana.
At roughly the same time, postal inspectors in Arizona were investigating packages Bernard Glass was allegedly mailing to Texas. Authorities soon connected the two investigations and determined that Glass and Punch were working together as part of the same trafficking organization.
Investigators tracked packages money and travel
As the Montana side of the organization expanded, investigators said Punch and Glass regularly traveled to the state. During those visits, they allegedly met with drug dealers, possible customers and other contacts.
Law enforcement began tracking Punch’s movements between Phoenix and Montana and identifying people he met during those trips.
Agents also examined postal and financial records. That allowed investigators to track packages allegedly sent by Punch and other members of the organization while also identifying the financial systems used to move money and support the trafficking network.
Todd Wacaser, special agent in charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Denver Field Office, said following money connected to drug trafficking can be essential to dismantling criminal organizations.
“IRS Criminal Investigation plays a critical role in disrupting and stopping the flow of money that is the lifeblood of criminal activity, including narcotics trafficking,” said Todd Wacaser, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Denver Field Office. “Working alongside our law enforcement partners, we hold drug traffickers accountable, protect the integrity of the U.S. financial system, and help keep our communities safe from the violence, addiction, and harm fueled by the illegal drug trade.”
By fall 2024, authorities had identified more than a dozen alleged co-conspirators. Investigators had also mapped the organization’s financial activities and tracked packages containing illegal drugs that Punch and others were accused of mailing into Montana.
Punch eventually returned to the Netherlands. He was charged and then arrested in March 2025 after returning to the United States.
“Operation Windmill is a strong example of how the Homeland Security Task Force model is designed to work: bringing federal, state, and local partners together across jurisdictions to identify, investigate, and dismantle criminal networks that threaten our communities,” said Resident Agent in Charge Joseph E. Montbriand with Homeland Security Investigations. “This case reflects the value of coordinated enforcement and intelligence-driven investigations, and we are proud of the work of our Special Agents, and all of our law enforcement partners who helped bring these defendants to justice.”
All 13 defendants prosecuted
The final defendant to be sentenced was Adam Joseph Sarvis, 47, of Butte. Sarvis pleaded guilty in March 2026 to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen sentenced Sarvis to two years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release.
The other defendants received prison sentences ranging from two years and eight months to 20 years.
Carrie Jean Bishop and Brooke Rose Louise Cardonia were each sentenced to nine years. Freddie Lee Carter received 11 years and four months, while Spring Marie Davis was sentenced to two years and eight months.
D’Andre Dontae Glass received four years, and Diana Michelle Karnes was sentenced to eight years. Dwayne Nyron Punch received 11 years and four months.
Sadie Cheryl Sawyer was sentenced to four years, while Zane Nicholas Schafer received two years and eight months. Shawn Michael Scholler was sentenced to three years and 10 months.
Along with those sentences, Punch received 20 years and Glass received 15 years.
Operation Windmill was conducted as part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative. Authorities described the broader effort as a partnership bringing government agencies together to target cartels, transnational criminal organizations, foreign gangs and trafficking networks operating domestically and internationally.
“DOJ and its law enforcement partners are committed to the destruction of these networks and poisons they seek to bring to Montana,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Smith. “I want to commend the exemplary work of the HSTF, including agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, IRS Criminal Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation. I also applaud the exceptional work of the prosecution team led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Lowney and Zeno Baucus for the District of Montana. Our streets and our children are safer because of the HSTF’s efforts.”
With Sarvis now sentenced, authorities have completed the prosecution of all 13 defendants in an investigation that followed the trafficking network across state and international borders, tracing drug shipments, travel and financial activity before ultimately dismantling the organization.
