2 Billings men sentenced to prison for trafficking meth

BILLINGS - Two men from Billings who trafficked methamphetamine in town were sentenced to prison, U.S. Attorney Scott Twito said.

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

Aaron Wade Montoya, 61, who pleaded guilty in June 2026 to possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, was sentenced Friday to 12 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

Rafael Gonzales Montanez, 61, who pleaded guilty in June 2026 to possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine, was sentenced in October to 10 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

The government alleged in court documents that Montanez and Montoya were dealing methamphetamine at various bars and casinos around Billings. An agent with the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation received a tip in August 2024 that Montanez was selling methamphetamine in Billings and was often at a Billings casino.

The agent, working undercover, was put in touch with Montanez, who called the agent offering to sell him an ounce of methamphetamine. The two men eventually met and over the next month the agent continued to buy increasing amounts of methamphetamine from Montanez. After a buy in September 2024, law enforcement followed Montanez to a trailer in the Cherry Creek mobile home park in the Billings Heights. They learned the trailer belonged to Montoya, who was on probation from an earlier drug conviction.

At his probation-mandated urine test in November 2024, Montoya tested positive for methamphetamine and law enforcement obtained a warrant to search his home at Cherry Creek. Officers found a bag of bulk methamphetamine, three firearms, ammunition, and cash. Agents arrested him and in a subsequent interview Montoya admitted to dealing methamphetamine and that he got two of his firearms in a drug trade.

Meanwhile, Montanez reached out to the undercover DCI agent and wanted to introduce him to his new supplier; his old one, Montoya, had been arrested, he told the agent. On May 29, 2025, ATF agents arrested Montanez, who admitted he had sold methamphetamine that had been supplied to him by Montoya.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Godfrey prosecuted the case. The Montana Division of Criminal Investigation and ATF conducted the investigation.

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice's nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys' offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department's commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump's Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.