BILLINGS - A Billings man who was selling illicit drugs from his motel room was sentenced today to six years and six months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Shawn Leon Anderson, 53, pleaded guilty in June 2026 to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.

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

The government alleged in court documents that law enforcement learned in July 2023 that Anderson was selling illicit drugs from a Billings Rodeway Inn motel room. Agents arranged for an informant to buy from Anderson. Investigators searched the motel room and found just under a pound of fentanyl in the form of thousands of pills, roughly three-quarters of a pound of methamphetamine, 20 grams of cocaine, and $4,753 in cash.

Anderson told agents he used the motel room to sell drugs so that he didn't draw attention to his residence in Billings. He said for the last three months he had been acquiring illicit drugs once or twice a month to sell to users.

The U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuted the case. The Montana Division of Criminal Investigation and the DEA conducted the investigation.

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice's nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys' offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department's commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump's Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.