Idaho Dispatch

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Press Release: U.S.-Mexico border driving Idaho’s growing drug threat

By • July 22, 2021

The following Press Release was sent out by Governor Brad Little on July 14:

Boise, Idaho – Governor Brad Little today hosted a roundtable with law enforcement leaders at Idaho State Police (ISP) headquarters in Boise to discuss Idaho’s growing drug threat and the connection to the United States-Mexico border.

“The sustained availability of drugs and the impact from crime related to drug abuse – including property and violent crimes – present continuing threats to the health and safety of Idahoans,” Governor Little said. “Meth and fentanyl are the most serious and growing drug threats in Idaho and there is a direct tie to the loose border with Mexico.”

For example, in the Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), law enforcement reporting shows the supply of illicit fentanyl from Mexico in the region has become more prevalent. More than half of officers surveyed this year reported that investigations involving fentanyl were directly tied to sources in Mexico.

Law enforcement reporting shows meth is primarily transported into Oregon and Idaho from Mexico through California.

Of the Drug Trafficking Organizations investigated last year, 23 of 24 identified Mexico as the source country for drugs trafficked into the region.

The trend reinforces the Governor’s decision to send a team of five ISP troopers to the border to assist the State of Arizona with their drug interdiction efforts. The troopers are five of ISP’s expert criminal interdiction team. They are in Arizona to serve both as a force multiplier for local efforts at a time when it’s needed along the border and, importantly, to bring back to Idaho the experience of seeing and learning up-to-the-minute enforcement techniques.

The troopers deployed are trainers themselves and help teach hundreds of other state and local law enforcement right here in Idaho on illegal drug trends and updated enforcement techniques.

“It is truly a fantastic opportunity to send our best criminal interdiction troopers to learn what’s happening and what’s working with law enforcement efforts to fight the flow of illegal drugs, and to be a force multiplier along the border when it is badly needed,” Governor Little said. “I want to thank these law enforcement leaders here with me today for sharing with us what they are facing.”

Law enforcement leaders who participated in today’s roundtable include ISP Colonel Kedrick Wills, Twin Falls Chief of Police Craig Kingsbury, Bannock County Sheriff Tony Manu, ISP Lt. Colonel Sheldon Kelley, ISP Lt. Colonel Bill Gardiner, ISP District 1 (Coeur d’Alene) Captain John Kempf, and Fusion Center ISP Sgt. Bret Kessinger.

Additional information about drug activity in Idaho is available in the Oregon-Idaho HIDTA 2022 Threat Assessment available at https://oridhidta.org/reports.

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Tags: Brad Little, Drugs, Idaho State Police, Mexico

9 thoughts on “Press Release: U.S.-Mexico border driving Idaho’s growing drug threat”

  1. This is a lame distraction from the number one issue Idahoans are facing right now: Covid vaccine mandates. Get rid of them, Governor, or get out of office.

  2. How about you work on keeping them OUT of our state? Not to mention the police reform in Washington poses a risk of their growing crime rate spilling over into North Idaho.

  3. The amount of cowardice being shown in regard to the invasion of illegal aliens is astonishing.

  4. Our REAL issue Mr. Little, is the Mandated Experimental vaccines that are being forced on the employees of medical facilities and other corporate entities. That is a Bigger issue.

  5. It is against the law to require taking an experimental “shot” that doesn’t protect from COVID in any way. Many people who have received the shot have come down with Covid. Thousands have died from the shot. It is your job governor to protect the people of Idaho and it is your duty to get rid of the mandates.

  6. The standard “blah, blah, blah” response from Gov. Chicken Little. If he was REALLY that concerned about the illicit drug trade in Idaho, he should have been loudly condemning the insane border policies of the Beijing Biden administration that are enabling these problems to grow in Idaho or any other state; and he should have been loudly condemning the fraudulent elections that put this bunch of clowns into power; and he should have directed his Secretary of State and our election officials to support all efforts to audit the elections and discover the real vote results; and he should be booting BLM and Antifa out of Idaho whenever they show up; and he should ensure that 2A is protected and that our police are fully supported and funded. In short, LITTLE IS AS USELESS AS BEIJING BIDEN. Little is part of the one-party swamp that our local GOP RINO leadership supports here in Idaho and in DC. #VOTEFORJANICEIN2022, #KEEPIDAHOCONSERVATIVE, #IDAHOCONSTITUTIONPARTY

  7. So….when does this RINO begin shifting to the left and support the illegal intrusions and trafficking? He sent a token force to help on the border. He’s keeping it very low profile. The FAKE Repubs like Little talk big and act Little. REPLACE THEM ALL!!!

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