A DEA agent said Wednesday in Billings that Montana is seeing a decrease in fentanyl seizures, while meth seizures are up.
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In 2025, 8.7 million fentanyl pills were seized in the DEA's Rocky Mountain Region, which includes Montana, Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah, according to Cesar Avila, assistant special agent for the DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division.
In addition to that, more than 3,000 pounds of meth were seized in that region.
Avila said he's noticing trends are emerging as the agency ramps up enforcement efforts across the country.
"It's not uncommon for numbers to go up in one region and then to go down in another region. And what we'll see also is that people tend to shift if there's too much negative attention on one drug or availability is not there, so prices go up, and they'll shift back to something else. So, you'll see methamphetamine, for example, is kind of a go-to drug for us here in Montana, so you'll see an increase in methamphetamine, for example," said Avila.
Avila adds that many of these seizures come from larger cities in the region, like Salt Lake City and Denver, often serving as hubs for traffickers.
Montana was the only state in the region to report a decrease in fentanyl seizures.
