Billings Man With 1,867 Fentanyl Pills Sentenced to 14 Years in Federal Prison

BILLINGS — A Billings man was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison Wednesday for drug distribution and illegally possessing firearms as a prohibited person.

Tirrell Lewis, 45, received 168 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release from U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters. Lewis pleaded guilty in February to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and prohibited person in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

The case stems from a November 3, 2023, incident when law enforcement officers responded to reports of two gunshots in a residential area. A caller reported seeing a gray Mustang leave the scene quickly after the shots were fired.

Officers found two spent rifle casings in the backyard of Lewis’s girlfriend’s residence. Though the girlfriend initially claimed the sounds were fireworks and that Lewis wasn’t present, witnesses told police they saw Lewis at the residence arguing with his girlfriend before the gunshots.

Later that evening, officers located Lewis’s Mustang and attempted a traffic stop. The vehicle fled briefly before stopping in front of the girlfriend’s residence. Lewis fled on foot but was quickly apprehended when he ran directly into an officer.

When arrested, Lewis had $6,216 in cash on his person.

A search warrant executed on the Mustang on November 13, 2023, revealed extensive evidence of drug trafficking operations. Officers recovered four firearms, 91 rounds of ammunition, seven ounces of fentanyl, and nine ounces of methamphetamine.

The fentanyl was packaged in three separate bags containing a total of 1,867 pills. The methamphetamine was stored in two zip-lock bags alongside a scale and 23 clean baggies, indicating preparation for distribution.

Lewis is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a previous federal conviction.

The investigation was conducted by the Billings Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Godfrey prosecuted the case.

The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a federal program that brings together law enforcement agencies and communities to reduce violent crime and gun violence. The Department of Justice launched an enhanced violent crime reduction strategy in May 2021 focused on fostering community trust, supporting violence prevention organizations, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring results.