Yellowstone County trio sentenced to prison for trafficking fentanyl

BILLINGS – A trio of Yellowstone County residents who were dealing fentanyl were sentenced to prison this week, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said. Heather Ostler, 39, who pleaded guilty in March 2026 to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, was sentenced Thursday to five months prison, followed by 4 years of supervised release. Louis Lester Parker, 36, who pleaded guilty in April 2026 to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, was sentenced Thursday to two years and eight months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release. Steven Craig Lance, 41, who pleaded guilty in April 2026 to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, was sentenced Friday to a year and three months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release. U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided. The government alleged in court documents that an investigation into fentanyl distribution in Montana found that Ostler, Parker, and Lance were dealing in the Billings area. Ostler and Parker were stopped by law enforcement on June 3, 2025, where investigators found 178 fentanyl pills in Ostler’s purse. This led to a search warrant for the pair’s residence where investigators found 540 more fentanyl pills in their bedroom. Lance sold 88 fentanyl pills to a confidential informant on May 15, 2025. Law enforcement watched Lance meet with Ostler prior to making the sale to the informant. After the buy, the informant told investigators that Lance had purchased the pills from Ostler and Parker. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Godfrey prosecuted the case. The Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force conducted the investigation.