BILLINGS — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)), published as received.
BILLINGS – A Billings woman who was part of running a multistate drug trafficking ring was sentenced today to prison, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.
Christina Lavon Hill, 43, who pleaded guilty in December 2025, was sentenced to 15 years and three months followed by five years of supervised release on one count of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. She was also sentenced to 15 years and three months followed by three years of supervised release on one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Both sentences will run concurrently.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.
The government alleged in court documents that Hill was helping bring methamphetamine and fentanyl from California into Wyoming and Billings.
Law enforcement learned in June 2023 that Hill and Nathan Wilnau were selling illegal drugs in Billings. Hill was a leader in the operation and was sending money to a source in San Francisco, who then sent packages of illicit drugs to Billings and to Cody, Wyoming, which Wilnau would go and retrieve.
On his last trip, Wilnau drove to Cody, picked up the package, and was headed back to Billings when he was pulled over by law enforcement. Searching the vehicle, agents found over 10 pounds of meth. They also learned that the source in Cody had previously received three to four packages of meth for Hill. Wilnau was sentenced to 11 years in prison on meth possession charges in June 2026.
As the investigation continued, agents found records on Hill’s phone that showed she had conducted 19 financial transactions with four other people totaling about $38,300 from July 2022 to April 2024. Many of the transactions corresponded directly with USPS shipments of packages to Hill and with text messages in which Hill placed orders for meth and fentanyl. A package for Hill sent on July 26, 2024, was intercepted by law enforcement in which they found 3 pounds of meth. Hill was later arrested on drug charges.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The DEA and Montana Division of Criminal Investigation 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.
