Nearly two dozen people face charges related to a drug trafficking organization that was snuffed out by law enforcement.
A joint state and federal investigation brought charges against 20 defendants for their role in a Magic Valley drug trafficking operation. Josh Hurwit, U.S. Attorney for the District of Idaho, announced the charges at a Wednesday press conference.
An investigation, conducted by the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force, brought federal drug trafficking charges against 10 Magic Valley residents. Ten additional individuals face state charges for their actions related to the trafficking conspiracy.
“We believe that a pipeline of methamphetamine coming into this community, and this valley, has been shut off,” Hurwit said.
The investigation began in 2023, when Idaho State Police and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration began tracking the organization. As the investigation evolved, it expanded to include local law enforcement agencies, Hurwit said.
The indictments allege that the defendants “distributed large quantities of methamphetamine throughout the Magic Valley.” During the investigation, federal and state law enforcement seized “over 30 pounds of methamphetamine,” and several of the individuals charged are believed to have traveled to California and Arizona to obtain the methamphetamine and return to Idaho for distribution, Hurwit said.