Traffic stop leads to arrest of two men, charged with trafficking meth and fentanyl
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POCATELLO — A traffic stop resulted in the arrest of two men who were charged with trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamines.
William, 52, and Brandon, 26, Hoover, whose documents do not detail whether or not there is any relation, were charged with felony trafficking of fentanyl, felony trafficking of methamphetamine and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.
If they are found guilty, both men face a mandatory minimum of 10 years or up to life in prison.
According to court documents, Idaho State Police were investigating William in August after a confidential informant said a distributor had two pounds of fentanyl powder.
The information was obtained after a detective made a controlled purchase from a distributor and learned that William was the supplier.
After another purchase of fentanyl powder was made in August, directly from William, a white vehicle was observed and was later confirmed to be used by William.
On Oct. 20, the same vehicle was spotted in Fort Hall, and its license plate was registered in Florida. Looking up the license plate number of the vehicle revealed that it belonged to a rental company.
Two days later, a license plate reader in Arizona notified detectives with the ISP that the vehicle had been spotted heading towards Phoenix.
The documents state Phoenix is a source of narcotics that travels back to Pocatello and its nearby areas.
A search warrant was obtained to “ping” William’s cellphone, but it showed it was signaling in Pocatello.
On Oct. 24, the vehicle William was using was spotted near Beaver, Utah, after a license plate reader notified detectives of its whereabouts.
It wasn’t until later in the evening that the vehicle was spotted at the Cherry Creek Rest Area near Malad. A detective conducting surveillance on the vehicle reported that there were two individuals inside.
After a moment at the rest stop, the vehicle began to head north on Interstate 15.
The document states that the vehicle committed several lane change violations by failing to use a turn signal and speeding over 80 mph.
It was around 7:43 p.m. when a trooper initiated a traffic stop near mile marker 30 on I-15.
The driver of the vehicle was identified as Brandon, and the passenger was William.
The document states that a K9 alerted troopers to the presence of narcotics inside the vehicle, and a search was performed.
It states that a folded-up blanket was found with five large plastic bags that contained methamphetamine, with each bag weighing one pound, and five plastic bags of Irish Spring soap. A detective reported that the use of soap is to hide or conceal the scent of drugs from K9 detection.
In the trunk, a GPS tracker detector was found, which, according to the document, is used by traffickers to detect if police have set any trackers.
A search of a backpack resulted in a lock box being found, which contained a small amount of fentanyl powder, drug paraphernalia, a pill bottle with Brandon’s name on it, a rental agreement and cell phones.
Both men were taken to the Bannock County Jail and booked for trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamines.
A trooper reported that he had found a broken-up and wet baggie on the floor of his patrol car that wasn’t there before Brandon was placed inside.
The document states Brandon didn’t admit to consuming anything, but he did say he had a tooter near his waist. Jail staff recovered a plastic tooter and a piece of crumpled-up tinfoil.
Brandon is scheduled to appear before Magistrate Judge David Hooste for a preliminary hearing at 9 a.m. on Nov. 19. William is scheduled for a preliminary hearing at 10:30 a.m. on Dec. 4 before Magistrate Judge Todd Garbett.
Though Brandon and William have been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean they committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.