Billings meth, fentanyl, heroin trafficker sentenced to five years in prison

BILLINGS - A Billings man who admitted to trafficking methamphetamine, fentanyl and heroin after the drugs were found in his car was sentenced today to five years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

The defendant, Sheldon Patrick Tracy, 55, pleaded guilty in February to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.

In court documents, the government alleged that in 2022, Tracy came to the attention of law enforcement as a drug distributor in the Billings area. On Aug. 17, 2022, law enforcement stopped a truck that Tracy was driving. Tracy was on state probation and a probation officer authorized a search of Tracy and the vehicle. Tracy had almost $8,467 in his front pocket and a small bag of heroin. After getting a search warrant for the truck, officers located approximately two ounces of meth in a quart baggie and 48 fentanyl pills. Tracy admitted he possessed all the drugs in the vehicle and intended to sell them.

The U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuted the case. The Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office conducted the investigation.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

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