Man charged with trafficking after trooper finds 12 pounds of marijuana in vehicle
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IDAHO FALLS — A 53-year-old man has been charged with felony trafficking after he allegedly had over 10 pounds of marijuana in his vehicle.
According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by Idaho State Police, on Monday, around 4 p.m., a trooper responded to Ryder Park Pond near the intersection of Sunnyside Road and Snake River Parkway in Idaho Falls.
A Fish and Game officer was on the scene and had asked for help from ISP. The Fish and Game officer told the trooper that there was a man who was fishing without a license. He was later identified as Loren Ralph Denny, who told authorities he was from California.
The Fish and Game officer also told the trooper that he had smelled the heavy odor of marijuana coming from the rolled-down windows of Denny’s nearby vehicle.
Denny admitted to the trooper that there was marijuana inside the vehicle.
“When asked how much, Denny stated he had at least a pound of marijuana inside,” the trooper wrote in court documents.
Before a search of the vehicle, Denny told the trooper he had additional amounts of marijuana in the back of the vehicle and had approximately 10 pounds of marijuana. He said it was his marijuana and claimed ownership of all the items.
Documents said Denny was truthful and very cooperative.
The trooper searched inside the vehicle, and numerous items were found. About a pound of marijuana was in a white plastic grocery-type bag on the front passenger floorboard with additional loose marijuana on the floor. Inside the center console were approximately 7 THC vape cartridges and rolling papers.
In the back of the vehicle, there was a garbage bag containing a large amount of marijuana and a black backpack that had another couple of pounds of marijuana, documents said.
Denny said the marijuana was from plants he had grown while living in California. He said he recently moved to Idaho and was looking for a place to live. He admitted to the trooper that he was fishing and that he didn’t have a fishing license, documents said.
Denny was taken into custody and booked into the Bonneville County Jail. He was charged with felony drug trafficking marijuana.
A towing company came to remove Denny’s vehicle. The trooper weighed the marijuana from Denny’s vehicle at 12.6 pounds.
Denny’s bond was set at $25,000. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Oct. 7 at 12:30 p.m. at the Bonneville County courthouse.