Billings Man Gets 25 For Drug Trafficking

The US Attorney For Montana has announced a 38-year-old Billings man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison, followed by 8 years of supervised release.

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Roderick Plentyhawk, 38, pleaded guilty in September 2023 to possession with intent to distribute meth and "prohibited person in possession of a firearm".

U.S. Attorney for Montana Jesse Laslovich said this:

Plentyhawk was among the top drug dealers in this extensive drug conspiracy and worked with out-of-state traffickers in Washington with connections to one of Mexico’s cartels to bring this highly-addictive poison to two Montana Indian reservations and the Billings community. He dealt in large, pound quantities and carried guns for protection. He belongs in federal prison, which is exactly where he will be for the next quarter century. I am proud of the extraordinary work of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners in pursuing and shutting down this far-ranging conspiracy.

What Happened

The government alleged in court documents and the court that federal law enforcement, in an effort with local and tribal law enforcement, investigated a large-scale, multiple-state narcotics trafficking organization that was centered on multiple properties on the Crow Indian Reservation.

The properties, including one known as Spear Siding, were a source of supply of meth for both the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Reservations and the Billings community from about January 2022 to March 2023. Plentyhawk is one of approximately two dozen defendants charged in the conspiracy and was one of the main individuals affiliated with the investigation.

Plentyhawk received meth from the Crow Reservation locations and would redistribute it in the Northern Cheyenne and Billings communities. He also provided meth to other drug dealers, including to some co-conspirators. And, investigators obtained meth from Plentyhawk in controlled purchases.

The investigation determined that Plentyhawk was selling significant amounts of meth and was indebted to a main source of supply for somewhere between $20,000 to $30,000, which is the equivalent of approximately four to five pounds of meth.

When federal law enforcement officers arrested Plentyhawk on March 29, 2023, following a high-speed chase in Billings, Plentyhawk had a stolen, loaded 9mm pistol on his person. Plentyhawk had a previous felony conviction and was prohibited from possessing firearms.