Billings man pleads guilty to selling fentanyl

BILLINGS - A Billings man who was dealing fentanyl pills from his South Side home admitted to charges today, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

The defendant, David Douglas Davis, 47, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.

On the first count, Davis faces five to 40 years in prison, a $5 million fine, four years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. On the second count, he faces five years to life in prison, a $250,000 fine, five years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.

U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided and will determine a sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing will be set at future date; Davis remained released pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that a search of Davis's Billings home last fall turned up nearly 900 fentanyl pills and six firearms.

The investigation began when the Billings Police Department's Street Crimes Unit received a credible tip in October 2025 that a man named David was selling fentanyl from an address on Hallowell Lane. Investigators ended up speaking with a "known fentanyl dealer" who told them Davis was her fentanyl supplier and that she had been purchasing fentanyl pills from Davis for the past six months.

On Oct. 29, 2025, officers served a search warrant on Davis's Hallowell Lane home where they found 88.4 grams of fentanyl in the form of approximately 883 pills along with six firearms and $16,870 in cash. In his vehicle, they found another firearm and $2,520 in cash. Davis, who travels out of state to purchase the pills, told officers he began selling fentanyl in April 2025 "to make money."

The U.S. Attorney's Office is prosecuting the case. The Billings Police Department and the FBI conducted the investigation.