BILLINGS – A Washington man who helped traffic meth into Billings was sentenced Thursday to three years and five months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Scott Twito said.
Zachary James Munoz, 37, pleaded guilty in June 2026 to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided.
The government alleged in court documents that Munoz was transporting fentanyl from Tri-Cities, Washington, to Montana with a partner, Crystal Williamson-Burke. Williamson-Burke pleaded guilty to trafficking charges last year and was sentenced to nearly four years in prison in February 2026.
In early March 2025, Williamson-Burke called a wrong number and left a voice message, which ended up tipping off law enforcement that she planned to drive to the Tri-Cities to pick up a package of fentanyl pills to bring back to Billings. Law enforcement tracked her vehicle to Washington and then pulled her over on her return to Billings. Munoz was sitting in the passenger seat. In the vehicle investigators found approximately 2,200 multicolored fentanyl pills.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Rubich prosecuted the case. The Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Taskforce 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.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Montana — U.S. Department of Justice press release.