An Idaho Falls man faces felony trafficking charges after trying to allegedly re-rent vehicle that had fentanyl inside
Published at | Updated at
IDAHO FALLS — An Idaho Falls man is facing felony drug trafficking charges after police say he tried to re-rent a vehicle to retrieve fentanyl he allegedly bought and then accidentally left inside.
Daniel Oliver Bartell, 38, is charged with felony trafficking of fentanyl, which carries the possible punishment of a mandatory minimum of 10 years to life in prison.
On March 26, a police booking affidavit says officers with the Idaho Falls Police Department were conducting surveillance at an apartment complex, looking for a woman who had a warrant for federal drug charges.
The woman, identified by police as Trisha Glover, is facing federal aiding and abetting possession with intent to deliver fentanyl.
Police say they spotted Glover leaving an apartment with two men, one of whom was later identified as Bartell.
Glover told police, after she was taken into custody, that she and Bartell had gone down to Las Vegas to pick up fentanyl powder, but there was something wrong with it. She said that the powder was purple and was made with something that ruined it.
She was asked how much money they paid to buy the drugs, and she said they didn’t know that it was prepaid.
During the investigation, it was learned that a partner of Bartell had attempted to rent a vehicle with another individual known to him.
It was later learned that the vehicle potentially still had drugs within it, and a search was conducted with the owner’s permission. Deep inside the vehicle’s air intake was a lockbox.
Inside the lockbox were two bags containing a purple and pink powder. The purple bag weighed 50.4 grams, and the other 52.2 grams. The powder was tested and returned positive for fentanyl.
On April 1, Bartell, who was on probation, was contacted by officers at the State Felony Probation Office.
After his Miranda Rights were read to him, officers spoke with him about the trip he made with Glover to Las Vegas. He said he was gambling and spent two to three hours at a casino before driving back to Idaho.
The document states that Glover and Trisha’s trip did not make sense due to the timeframe given and that it appeared the trip was done in one day. The other fact was that Bartell said he only took $100 with him to gamble and lost it all.
When asked about the vehicle, the officers reported that Bartell’s story was changing despite the evidence presented to him. This included why he and two other individuals tried to rent the same vehicle that had drugs inside it.
Bartell is scheduled to appear before Magistrate Judge Michael Kirkham at 1 p.m. on April 14 for a preliminary hearing.
Though Bartell has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.