Billings Man Gets 6½ Years for Fentanyl, Meth in Motel Room

A Billings man will spend more than six years in federal prison after investigators found fentanyl pills, methamphetamine, cocaine, and cash inside a motel room, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana.

Shawn Leon Anderson, 53, was sentenced to six years and six months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty in June 2026 to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided over the case.

Billings Rodeway Inn Drug Investigation Led to Federal Charges

Federal prosecutors said law enforcement learned in July 2023 that Anderson was selling illicit drugs from a room at a Billings Rodeway Inn.

According to court documents, investigators arranged for an informant to purchase drugs from Anderson. Law enforcement later searched the motel room and found just under a pound of fentanyl in the form of thousands of pills, about three quarters of a pound of methamphetamine, 20 grams of cocaine, and $4,753 in cash.

READ MORE: Billings Police Identify Man in Officer-Involved Shooting

Billings Motel Room Used for Drug Sales, Prosecutors Say

Prosecutors said Anderson told agents he used the motel room to sell drugs because he did not want to draw attention to his Billings home.

He also told investigators that he had been obtaining illicit drugs once or twice a month for about three months before his arrest and selling them to users.

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Montana DCI and DEA Investigated Billings Drug Case

The Montana Division of Criminal Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana prosecuted it.

The case was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a Department of Justice initiative that brings together law enforcement and prosecutors to address violent crime and public safety concerns.