Brian Uriel Lopez-Orozco, of Phoenix, was sentenced on Wednesday, July 29th, 2026, to 14 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for shipping methamphetamine and fentanyl to a drug ring in Billings, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith. Lopez-Orozco, 27, pleaded guilty in February 2026 to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and 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 key supplier of meth and fentanyl to the Billings area, running a drug trafficking operation there for two years. Law enforcement uncovered his role while investigating local trafficker Cynthia Pruett and her two lieutenants, Aaron Meeks and Shaynee Gibbs. On November 9th, 2022, police stopped Meeks and Gibbs and found 360 grams of fentanyl and over $12,000 in cash in their vehicle. Gibbs reportedly informed the officers that they were expecting a package containing meth and fentanyl, which law enforcement had already intercepted. The package contained almost 4 pounds of meth and 17 fentanyl capsules.
Reports stated Meeks told investigators that he frequently picked up shipments of meth and fentanyl from Arizona for Pruett, whom he referred to as “one of the biggest drug dealers in Billings.” Gibbs indicated that Pruett stored her drugs in a storage unit on the West End of Billings. Following this, on December 1st, 2022, law enforcement obtained a search warrant for both the storage unit and Pruett’s home in Acton, where they discovered meth, fentanyl, and over $4,200 in cash. A month later, Pruett was stopped in Broadview, where nearly half a pound of fentanyl and $2,245 in cash were found.
Pruett, Meeks, and Gibbs later pleaded guilty to various drug-related charges. Meeks, who had lived in Arizona where he purchased drugs from Lopez-Orozco, became his personal mechanic. When Meeks moved to Billings in 2021, Lopez-Orozco contacted him seeking someone to distribute drugs, to which Meeks recommended Pruett. After visiting Billings a few times and verifying Pruett’s ability to sell his drugs, Lopez-Orozco began sending her large amounts 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.
By Karen Anderson: July 30, 2026 – Billings, Mt
