Phoenix man sentenced to 14 years in prison for trafficking significant amounts of drugs to Montana

BILLINGS – A Phoenix man who was shipping meth and fentanyl to a drug ring in Billings was sentenced today to 14 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said. Brian Uriel Lopez-Orozco, 27, pleaded guilty in February 2026 to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and one count of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided. The government alleged in court documents that Lopez-Orozco was a major supplier of methamphetamine and fentanyl to the Billings area, running a drug trafficking ring there for two years. Law enforcement discovered Lopez-Orozco was the head of the drug ring while investigating local drug trafficker Cynthia Pruett and her two lieutenants, Aaron Meeks and Shaynee Gibbs. Laurel police pulled over Meeks and Gibbs on Nov. 9, 2022, where they found 360 grams of fentanyl and over $12,000 cash in their car. Gibbs told officers that she and Meeks were awaiting a package in the mail with methamphetamine and fentanyl, a package law enforcement had already intercepted. In it, investigators discovered nearly 4 pounds of meth and 17 capsules of fentanyl. Meeks told investigators that he regularly picked up packages of meth and fentanyl shipped from Arizona for Pruett, whom he described as “one of the biggest drug dealers in Billings.” Gibbs said Pruett kept her drugs in a storage unit on Billings’ West End. On Dec. 1, 2022, law enforcement obtained a search warrant for the storage unit and Pruett’s home in Acton, where agents found meth, fentanyl, and over $4,200 in cash. A month later, Pruett was pulled over in Broadview where agents found nearly a half-pound of fentanyl and $2,245 in cash. Pruett, Meeks, and Gibbs eventually pleaded guilty to various drug charges. Meeks had lived in Arizona, where he bought drugs from Lopez-Orozco and eventually became his personal mechanic. When Meeks moved to Billings in 2021, Lopez-Orozco reached out and asked him if he knew of anyone there who would push drugs for him. Meeks gave him Pruett’s name. Lopez-Orozco visited Billings a few times and after Pruett demonstrated she could move his drugs, Lopez-Orozco began shipping her large quantities of meth and fentanyl. Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Rubich prosecuted the case. The Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and the DEA 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.