Billings man sentenced to over 11 years in prison after trying to buy 35 pounds of meth

BILLINGS - A Billings man who tried to buy a suitcase full of meth at a Laurel truck stop was sentenced today to 135 months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Derrick Chandler Lucero, 48, pleaded guilty in January 2026 to one count of attempted possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

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

The government alleged in court documents that Lucero attempted to purchase 35 pounds of meth from a courier with ties to a Mexican drug operation.

The case against Lucero started in Omaha, Nebraska, when Omaha police officers and agents with the DEA intercepted a suspected drug courier at a bus station on July 22, 2025. The courier told law enforcement he was travelling from California to Montana - later admitting he had 35 pounds of meth in his bags. He then offered to help law enforcement deliver the meth as part of a controlled buy to catch the courier's connection. Agents travelled with the courier to Billings along with the 35 pounds of meth, which was later tested to verify its legitimacy. They then swapped out 34 of the 35 bundles with white ice melt that they wrapped the same way as the original packages.

Early on July 23, 2025, agents and the courier created a plan for delivery. Contacting his handlers in Mexico, the courier received instructions to contact the buyer by phone and determine a location to make the exchange. His handlers told him he was to collect $12,500. The buyer, later identified as Lucero, contacted the courier at 12:02 a.m. and told him they'd meet at the TA Truck Stop in Laurel. Asked for a description of his vehicle, Lucero responded, "I'm in a green and tan Ford Expedition."

Law enforcement started surveillance on the TA Truck Stop, eventually spotting the Expedition. The courier approached the Expedition with the suitcase holding the meth and ice melt. He opened the rear passenger door and set the suitcase inside. Lucero threw a stack of $100 bills on the back seat for the courier, who took the money, closed the car door and gave Lucero a thumbs up, indicating to the arrest teams that the transaction was complete. The agents moved in and arrested Lucero.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Montana comprises agents and officers from numerous federal agencies and drug task forces throughout the state, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Montana.

The U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuted the case. The DEA and the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force conducted the investigation as part of the HSTF.

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