Idaho's 'Top Gun' training takes on the 'billion dollar business' of drug trafficking | Idaho

This year marks the third year of the Top Gun drug investigation course, a week-long training course that replaces an earlier drug program conducted about two decades earlier.

By emphasizing a proactive approach to law enforcement and imparting legal knowledge, the course is designed to provide investigators with the training they need to curb drug use, which is becoming increasingly deadly in Idaho.

The training, hosted by the National Guard and Idaho State Police at Gowen Field, includes lectures and scenario-based instruction for participants, according to a press release about the course.

“As times have changed, drug crimes have changed and evolved, and we saw a real reason for us to come together and work with our partners from across the United States,” said Idaho State Police Lieutenant Jess Stennett.

Nearly 40 people from Idaho sheriff's offices, municipal police departments and ISP officers will attend the training. Agencies from other states, including the Oregon State Police and the Montana Department of Criminal Investigations, also attended the training. With personnel from Idaho and surrounding areas participating, the hope is that in addition to refining drug investigation skills, the course will also provide a networking opportunity for law enforcement in the area that can be used in future investigations, said John Kempf, co-coordinator of the Idaho Fentanyl Education Project.

Most of law enforcement's work is reactive: responding to calls on myriad topics. The course teaches law enforcement to be proactive by teaching them investigative and intelligence-gathering techniques to untangle the “spider webs” of drug trafficking that runs both in and through Idaho, Stennett said.

“This teaches us how to go out and actually hunt big game and find those who are really causing harm to our community,” said Bill Gardiner, colonel and director of the ISP.

The participation of assistant district attorneys from Latah and Canyon counties and the U.S. Attorney's Office in the course also places an emphasis on proactive action in the court system.

“We are trying to take down drug trafficking networks — which often originate right at the border — with federal resources,” said Josh Hurwit, U.S. Attorney for the District of Idaho. “But with your hard work and training, we can actually make a big difference and get to the sources of supply and keep our communities safe.”

For decades, U.S. prosecutors have said methamphetamine has been the drug most commonly used in their cases. But over the past seven years, fentanyl cases have become “essentially equivalent” to methamphetamine, and the drug is often sold by the same dealers, Hurwit said.

“We don't do anything alone… the vast majority of our drug-related cases in this state at the federal level are based on a state, local and federal partnership,” Hurwit said. “That's why we're so committed to Top Gun.”

Hurwit pointed to a number of successful prosecutions related to fentanyl trafficking in Idaho last year, including a 20-year sentence in federal prison for a defendant who trafficked 20,000 fentanyl pills, made possible through a coordinated effort with the Metro Treasure Valley Violent Crimes Task Force.

The penalties mentioned by Hurwit came shortly before Idaho Governor Brad Little signed a law in February that would impose mandatory minimum sentences for possession of fentanyl. Anyone arrested in Idaho with at least 4 grams of fentanyl or a mixture of substances containing a detectable amount of fentanyl will now face a minimum sentence of three years in prison and a $10,000 fine, the Idaho Press previously reported.

In addition to increasing the focus on prosecuting drug trafficking, Idaho is also working to educate and inform about the dangers of fentanyl through programs aimed at teens and young adults.

“It's fair to say we continue to operate in unprecedented territory,” said Marianne King, director of the Idaho Office of Drug Policy. “As you know, substance abuse has never been more risky or deadly than it is today.”

Although the number of reported overdose deaths in the United States decreased by 3% between October 2022 and October 2023, deaths from “fentanyl-related” overdoses in Idaho increased by 4.5%. The latest Department of Vital Statistics data for Idaho showed that 386 people died of drug overdoses in 2023, King said.

“Of those 386 cases, 264 were related to opioids,” King said. “Of those 386 cases, 197 were related to fentanyl. That's 51%.”

Further concerns arise when looking at demographic trends in overdose deaths. While people ages 35 to 44 continue to have the highest rate of overdose deaths, people ages 15 to 24 are seeing “the largest percentage increase in deaths,” King said. Although the number of fatal overdoses among people ages 15 to 24 in 2023 increased from 31 in 2019 to 36 in 2023, it is below the five-year high of 42 deaths in 2022, according to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare website.

Through programs like Fentanyl Takes All, which launched in 2022, some positive trends have been seen in education and awareness about fentanyl among younger populations. The majority of teens, young adults and parents in Idaho now say they know that counterfeit prescription drugs can contain “lethal amounts of fentanyl,” and more people in each group acknowledged that “it's almost impossible to tell whether a substance contains fentanyl or not,” King said, citing the campaign's latest numbers.

Although progress continues to be made in training, law enforcement and awareness, drug trafficking, particularly fentanyl trafficking, continues throughout the state and country, causing significant human losses. For dealers, smugglers and manufacturers, it's simply good business, Stennett said.

“It's a real business for them,” he said. “It's a billion-dollar business and they'll do anything to sell their products.”