Latest news with #OperationEstoPerpetua
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Yahoo
Fentanyl seized was enough to ‘kill more than 46,000 people': 11 convicted in major Idaho drug bust
This story was originally published on Eleven Idaho defendants were convicted on federal drug trafficking charges, Acting U.S. Attorney Justin Whatcott confirmed, after a large-scale investigation was conducted by the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). Before any convictions could be made, detectives with the Idaho State Police Department investigated Austin Lee all the way back in early 2023. Idaho police believed Lee was responsible for distributing large quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine in southern Idaho. 'In July 2023, the investigation expanded to include Lee's Mexico-based drug supplier and other co-conspirators,' said David Reames, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. 'The investigation revealed that recent parolees were recruited into the conspiracy prior to their release from prison. These conspirators helped traffic fentanyl from the U.S./Mexico border to distribute in Idaho.' The OCDETF-led investigation resulted in the seizure of more than 48,000 fentanyl pills and four pounds of methamphetamine confiscated from Lee's operation. 'The DEA and our partners will work tirelessly to stop drug traffickers from flooding our communities with drugs and violence,' Reames added. 'Two milligrams of fentanyl is considered a potentially lethal dose. The amount of fentanyl seized in this case had the potential to kill more than 46,000 people, that would more than fill the football stadium at Boise State.' Nine of the 11 defendants were sentenced to prison, with sentences ranging from 24 months to 140 months. The other two were dealt multiple years of probation. 'We are proud the State of Idaho works so well with our federal partners to protect the public,' Governor Brad Little stated. 'The goal of our Operation Esto Perpetua initiative is to equip law enforcement with the training and tools they need to keep Idaho safe. Today's announcement about the conviction of 11 drug traffickers demonstrates what Idaho is doing is working.'
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gov. Little keeps emergency fund used in Idaho homicides investigation
This is a breaking news story. Check back to for updates. To sign up for breaking news alerts, click here. Idaho Gov. Brad Little hopes to retain control of more than half a million dollars in emergency funding after he rejected part of a bill lawmakers passed in the last few days of the legislative session. Little signed off on the other elements of House Bill 482 but vetoed the line item Monday evening that would have eliminated the governor's emergency fund, by transferring the remaining $652,500 in the pool to the state's general fund. In a news release Monday, Little pointed to his use of the funding in the past few years, which included his pledge to provide $1 million to support law enforcement with the homicide investigation of four University of Idaho students in Moscow. He also used the fund to pay for trips to the U.S.-Mexico border that he said helped his initiative to tackle the fentanyl crisis, Operation Esto Perpetua. Little can use the fund in any emergency that the Legislature couldn't 'reasonably' foresee under state law. In his veto letter, the governor said eliminating the fund would have hindered the state's ability to respond to certain crises swiftly. 'I share the Legislature's vigor for ensuring government is efficient, but citizens expect government to be responsive in times of crisis,' Little said in his news release. Lawmakers can typically override a governor's veto with another vote on the bill if the legislation receives two-thirds support from each chamber, though the Idaho Legislature ended this year's regular legislative session early this month. Lawmakers can call themselves back to the Capitol in Boise for special sessions with a petition signed by at least 60% of the House and Senate. The rest of House Bill 482 remained intact and became law, Little said in his veto letter. That included transferring the remaining $37.8 million from a fund created to help public schools pay interest on bonds into the general fund. The bill also included moving $1.1 million from the Constitutional Defense Fund into the Legislative Legal Defense Fund. Both pools of money have been used to fight lawsuits against the state. But the constitutional fund needs sign-off from leaders of both legislative chambers, the governor and attorney general. The use of the legislative fund needs approval only from legislative leaders. Before police found Bryan Kohberger, the suspect accused of killing the four college students in November 2022, Little committed up to $1 million to help fund the sprawling investigation. About $435,000 from the fund was used to reimburse Idaho State Police and the Moscow Police Department, which had a total budget of $6.5 million in 2022. Kohberger was charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the stabbing deaths of the college students, as well as one count of felony burglary. His murder trial is expected to start with jury selection in late July, and prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty if Kohberger is convicted. The four victims were Kaylee Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum; Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d'Alene; Xana Kernodle, 20, of Post Falls; and Ethan Chapin, 20, of Mount Vernon, Washington. Little, a University of Idaho alumnus, said the fund 'has been used to address serious unexpected situations that fall outside of a formally declared state of emergency,' including high-profile criminal cases. Taxpayer costs for the Moscow homicides case have continued to climb as Kohberger awaits his chance for a defense at trial and remains jailed. The amount had already exceeded $3.6 million as of April 2024, with the University of Idaho shouldering the brunt of the cost, the Idaho Statesman previously reported.
