Two men charged with trafficking after marijuana found among onions
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AMERICAN FALLS — Two American Falls men have been charged with trafficking marijuana after officers allegedly found 2.65 pounds of marijuana inside a trunk full of loose onions.
Carl Creed Hall, 46, and Alex Edward Clark, 45, have been charged with the felonies, court records show. Hall additionally faces a persistent violator enhancement.
As part of a combined patrol, American Falls police officers and Power County Sheriff’s deputies conducted a traffic stop around 1 p.m. Friday near mile marker 31 on Interstate 86 eastbound, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
Hall, the driver, and Clark, the passenger, were asked to stand outside of the vehicle while a narcotic K9 was used to perform an open-air sniff around the red Volkswagen. During the sniff, the dog indicated the presence of drugs.
As officers searched inside the vehicle, they did not find any substances. However, officers did notice a large bag of onions in the backseat.
When officers opened the truck of the car, they again found a “large amount of loose onions.” Behind a subwoofer in the trunk, officers found a large plastic back containing what they believed to be marijuana.
Clark agreed to speak with the officers.
He told officers that he was not aware of the marijuana in the vehicle.
Clark told officers that Hall picked him up from his home in American Falls that morning. Clark said the two went to the Burley area for lunch and were returning to American Falls.
Separately, Hall agreed to speak with officers. Hall confirmed that Clark did not have knowledge of the marijuana, but he said he picked Clark up from Burley that morning. He said he bought the onions while he was in west Idaho.
Asked to confirm, Hall again said he picked Clark up in Burley that morning then the two had lunch and were returning to American Falls.
Because the men provided conflicting details, officers seized Hall’s cell phone for evidentiary analysis. Officers also seized $531 and Hall’s vehicle. Both men were booked at Power County Jail, and both have since been released on their own recognizance.
Though Clark and Hall have been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean they committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.
If they are found guilty, Clark could face up to 15 years in prison and $50,000 in fines. Hall could face up to 20 years with the enhancement.
Both men are scheduled for preliminary hearings before magistrate judge Paul Laggis on Sept. 20.