Denver Man Sentenced To 180 Months In Federal Prison on Drug Distribution and Firearms Charges

November 12, 2026

Bryan Hjelmstad, 32, of Denver, was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with the intent to distribute greater than 500 grams of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. According to the plea agreement, police found over 700 grams of cocaine, 300 grams of methamphetamine, 30 grams of fentanyl, 19 grams of heroin, 237 grams of Xanax, 20 grams of MDMA, 13 grams of ketamine, three loaded firearms, ammunition, and over $10,000 in cash in his room at a Westminster hotel. Six days later, after a call from a Denver hotel, police found a shopping bag holding 1.468 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden under a vehicle in the direction he fled, plus over 40 grams of fentanyl pills, four more firearms, and several hundred dollars in cash in his room. Hjelmstad was arrested shortly after fleeing the second hotel. U.S. District Judge Daniel D. Domenico presided over the sentencing (Case No. 25-cr-129-DDD). The FBI Denver Field Office, the Westminster Police Department, and the Denver Police Department handled the investigation.

Status: Charged and Arrested; pleaded guilty and sentenced (per the U.S. Attorney’s Office release).

Sources

All stories