Mexican citizen sentenced to 2 years prison for cocaine trafficking

BILLINGS – A Mexican national who was trafficking cocaine in Billings and illegally owned a pair of handguns was sentenced Friday to two years in prison, after which he will be remanded to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Raul Molina-Mendoza, 34, pleaded guilty in May 2026 to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and unlawfully possessing a firearm.

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

The government alleged in court documents that law enforcement began investigating Molina-Mendoza in June 2025 after learning from a source that he was trafficking cocaine into Billings. Molina-Mendoza travelled to Denver that month to pick up a quarter-pound of cocaine.

In September 2025, investigators learned Molina-Mendoza was working with his brother Jose Molina-Mendoza to sell cocaine. After learning the brothers were planning another trip to Denver, law enforcement placed a tracker on the White Escalade they were driving. 

Billings police pulled over the brothers on Oct. 9, 2025, after watching the Escalade make an illegal U-turn. A drug-sniffing dog alerted officers that illicit material was possibly inside. Investigators then sought warrants for the vehicle and for the house where the two men lived. 

Searching the house, investigators found 137 grams of cocaine, two 9MM handguns, and $16,000 cash. They found another 127 grams of cocaine in the garbage can, 21 baggies filled with 1 gram of cocaine each, and cell phones. In the vehicle, investigators discovered $4,203 in cash and drug paraphernalia.

Jose Molina-Mendoza pleaded guilty to drug charges in February 2026. He was sentenced last month to time served and was remanded to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation proceedings.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Yerger prosecuted the case. The Billings Police Department, FBI, and the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force 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.