Billings Man Copped 3 Years in Prison Drug Scheme

Cordero Robert Metzker, 28, of Billings, Montana, is headed to federal prison for 36 months after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and Suboxone inside Montana State Prison. The sentence, handed down by Chief U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen in Missoula, includes five years of supervised release—marking the latest blow in a sprawling crackdown on corruption behind bars.

Metzker wasn’t an inmate, but he played a key role in a dangerous underground pipeline. Acting as a middleman, he transferred funds used to buy controlled substances that were then smuggled into the Deer Lodge facility by prison employee Erin Bernhardt. In exchange for bribes, Bernhardt funneled the drugs to inmates, turning her position of trust into a criminal enterprise.

The scheme unraveled thanks to a joint sting led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and multiple state agencies. The Montana Department of Corrections’ Division of Investigations, Montana State Prison Warden Leroy Kirkegard and his staff, and the Montana Division of Criminal Investigations all played critical roles in exposing the operation from the inside.

Metzker’s conviction underscores a deeper rot festering in the state’s penal system. Federal prosecutors didn’t mince words: this wasn’t just drug trafficking—it was a betrayal of public trust. “This type of abuse within a public prison system cannot be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Cotter for the District of Montana. “The effective prosecution of these defendants demonstrates that it will not be.”

The case was handled by Criminal Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Thaggard and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Starnes, who built a case that traced money, messages, and drugs through layers of deception. Their work closed a network that endangered both staff and inmates, exploiting the isolation of prison life for profit.

With five years of supervision looming after his release, Metzker’s fall from freedom is a warning. Federal and state agencies are tightening the screws on prison corruption, proving that even crimes committed from the outside can land you behind bars. The message is clear: no one gets a free pass when drugs and prisons collide.