Missoula Man Claims He Found Drugs and Thought it Was Just Trash

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - On February 27, 2024, a Missoula County Sheriff’s Office Deputy was patrolling the area of the Wye and conducted a traffic stop of a silver car. The deputy immediately recognized the passenger as 42-year-old Daniel Szwedkowicz who had a black backpack sitting on his lap. The deputy was also aware Szwedkowicz had pending warrants.  

The deputy asked Szwedkowicz to get out of the vehicle to be arrested on his pending warrants. Another deputy searched Szwedkowicz and located a baggie of methamphetamine in Szwedkowicz’s pocket. The original deputy also saw a small brass container he recognized as a storage container for drugs in the vehicle next to the backpack.  

Szwedkowicz was mirandized and advised that he thought the baggie was trash he found in the car. According to court documents, Szwedkowicz said he found the baggie on the floor and picked it up before placing it in his pocket. He also said the black backpack was not his.  

READ MORE: Missoula News – Crime Reports 

Deputies mirandized and spoke to the driver. She denied knowing Szwedkowicz had methamphetamine. She advised she had a purse in the vehicle, but the black backpack belonged to Szwedkowicz. Based on the totality of circumstances, it was determined that the vehicle would be seized pending a search warrant.  

Deputies arrested Szwedkowicz and let the driver leave the scene while having the vehicle towed pending the application for the search warrant. The deputy later applied for and was granted a search warrant. During the search of the vehicle, a glass pipe with white residue was found in the front passenger seat door pocket.  

The black backpack was searched and found to contain a wallet with Szwedkowicz’s driver’s license, a digital scale with white residue, two baggies containing white residue, and a laptop computer. The brass container was searched and the deputy found methamphetamine.  

Szwedkowicz is currently being charged with felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs and criminal possession of drug paraphernalia. 

The information in this article was obtained from sources that are publicly viewable.