The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office seized seized 92,000 fentanyl pills and other drugs in a September 2023 bust. (Courtesy of Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office)
The Idaho House of Representatives has passed a bill that would require mandatory minimum sentences for people convicted of trafficking fentanyl.
Following more than an hour of debate among representatives, House Bill 406 passed the House floor in a 53-14 vote on Monday. It is now headed to the state Senate for consideration.
According to the bill’s statement of purpose , the legislation would add fentanyl to the list of drugs that carry mandatory minimum sentences with the goal to punish people who “manufacture, deliver or bring into the state.” The bill also adds provisions for the crime of a “drug-induced homicide,” meaning a person could be charged with a felony if they supply drugs that later kills someone.
According to the bill, if someone were found guilty of trafficking fentanyl in Idaho, a mandatory minimum sentence would include: