Major drug investigation leads to federal and state charges over meth in Magic Valley

JEROME, Idaho – U.S. Attorney Joshua Hurwit announced the indictment of 10 Magic Valley residents on federal drug trafficking charges, while nine other residents face state charges on meth charges.

• At a press conference on Wednesday, Hurwit and federal, state and local officials jointly outlined the charges against 10 drug trafficking defendants.
• “We believe a methamphetamine pipeline leading into this community in this valley has been shut down,” Hurwit said. Over 30 pounds of meth was seized during the course of the investigation.
• The criminal operation stretched from the Magic Valley to Arizona, California and Mexico, Hurwit said.

(Below is the transcript of the broadcast report)

As a result of a years-long investigation into drug trafficking, 19 people are in police custody.

“We are here together to announce the dismantling of a significant methamphetamine trafficking organization,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Idaho Joshua Hurwit, who joined heads of several local and state law enforcement agencies to announce the arrests at a press conference at the ISP office in Jerome.

“We believe that a methamphetamine pipeline leading into this community in this valley has been shut down,” Hurwit said.

Ten people, all Magic Valley residents, face drug charges including conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, and nine others face federal charges.

According to Hurwit, officers seized more than 30 pounds of methamphetamine during the raid, equivalent to several hundred thousand doses.

“This is a remarkable achievement, especially in the Magic Valley, which may not be the first place you think of when you think of large-scale drug trafficking,” Hurwit said.

Hurwit says the criminal enterprise extended beyond the Magic Valley into Arizona, California and Mexico, with individuals transporting loads of drugs on the highways of the West

The investigation was a collaboration between authorities at all levels.

The sheriffs of Twin Falls, Jerome, Blaine, Cassia and Minidoka counties and the police chiefs of Jerome and Twin Falls were present.

“There are federal and local agencies that have come together with the same goal: to rid our communities of drugs and drug dealers,” Hurwit said.

“This should deter any high-level criminal organization or make them think again about what they are going to do – if they want to distribute their product here in Idaho,” said Col. Bill Gardner, director of the Idaho State Police.

“This is one of the things we pride ourselves on here in Idaho, and we've developed this unique perspective together from the moment we started the case,” Gardner said. “Because we work together as a team from the beginning, there are no delays.”