CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A Cheyenne man faces multiple charges following a months-long investigation, including possession of a stolen handgun and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
Terrell Markese Royal, 37, is charged with possession of stolen property, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, possession of methamphetamine, possession of a controlled substance in pill form, and possession with intent to distribute pills, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation.
He is presumed innocent unless he pleads or is found guilty.
The investigation began in November 2024, when a DCI special agent performed a “trash pull” at a Windmill Avenue home suspected of being a drug distribution center.
Agents said they discovered a package addressed to Royal, along with drug residue and a partially burned counterfeit OxyContin tablet.
A second trash search in April 2025 turned up another package for Royal and additional drug paraphernalia. That heightened agents’ suspicions and prompted them to obtain a search warrant for the residence, despite the fact that Royal was not present at the time and was not charged.
The case moved forward on May 1, when agents observed Royal leaving his Windmill Avenue home in a Subaru. A Cheyenne Police Department officer later stopped the car for a turn signal violation.
Royal, a passenger, informed officers that he was on bond for a previous offense and had a Sig Sauer handgun under his seat.
A search of the car yielded the Sig Sauer P938 pistol, worth approximately $650, as well as a plastic bag of suspected counterfeit OxyContin tablets, which the DCI agent noted are frequently laced with fentanyl.
Following the traffic stop, agents carried out a search warrant at the Windmill Avenue residence. According to court documents, they discovered suspected methamphetamine and a glass pipe in a bedroom where Royal claimed to be staying.
Royal was then escorted to the DCI building for an interview. He told investigators that he purchased the Sig Sauer from someone at a car dealership for $200.
A firearms trace by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives revealed that the gun had been reported stolen by its original owner.
Agents attempted to interview the person Royal claimed he bought the gun from, but dealership employees said no one with that name worked there.
Additional evidence came from confidential sources. In May, a source informed agents that Royal had provided them with fentanyl-laced counterfeit OxyContin about eight times.
This was supported by a review of digital communications, according to the affidavit. In July, a second source informed Laramie County Sheriff’s Office detectives that they had been purchasing fentanyl pills and methamphetamine from Royal for approximately two years.
Royal was taken into custody in late July. He remains in the Laramie County Detention Center.
