Belgrade cocaine case brings 18 year sentence for repeat offender

MISSOULA, Mont. — A Belgrade man was sentenced to 18 years in prison for trafficking cocaine while armed in Belgrade and Bozeman, Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot said in a release.

Leodis Robert Roach, 43, pleaded guilty in January 2026 to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. A judge also ordered five years of supervised release after prison.

Court records said investigators used a confidential informant to buy one ounce of cocaine from Roach and a co-defendant on May 6, 2025, and again on May 22, 2025.

Authorities later stopped a vehicle in Bozeman on June 4, 2025, and arrested Roach on an outstanding warrant. Investigators said they found about 25 grams of individually packaged cocaine in the vehicle and a Glock under the passenger seat where Roach had been sitting.

Court documents said officers then searched a residence tied to the driver and found Roach’s vehicle in the garage holding 937 grams of cocaine, body armor and a Diamondback firearm.

The case adds to Roach’s long criminal record with convictions tied to robbery and firearm cases in Oregon and Washington, including a 2014 federal sentence in Eugene.