Arizona man sentenced to 12 years in prison for trafficking meth

BILLINGS - An Arizona man who arranged for methamphetamine to be shipped to Billings was sentenced today to 12 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Patrick Louis Gastelo, 47, pleaded guilty in January 2026 to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Gastelo arranged to receive a shipment of two pounds of methamphetamine at his girlfriend's Billings home with the intent to sell it.

A USPS postal inspector flagged a suspicious package traveling from Calexico, California, to Billings on Nov. 7, 2022. Searching the parcel, he discovered two pounds of meth. The inspector repackaged the meth and sent the parcel onto its destination where law enforcement awaited its delivery.

At the house, the package was received by Lindsay Whitewolf. Agents searched the home and Whitewolf explained the package had been sent by Sergio Tagaban, who Gastelo had known in prison. Gastelo's girlfriend, Angelena LaFave, confirmed that the parcel was intended for Gastelo, and that he and Tagaban were "brothers" in prison.

The women explained that the plan had been for Gastelo to work with Tagaban to arrange the shipment of the meth, which Whitewolf and LaFave would then help sell around Billings. Tagaban and LaFave were convicted of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine for their involvement. Whitewolf has pled guilty to possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine for her involvement.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Vestal and Colin Rubich prosecuted the case. The United States Postal Inspection Service and the Billings Police Department conducted the investigation.