Local man arrested after police find nearly $1 million worth of fentanyl pills and other drugs
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IDAHO FALLS – A 43-year-old man is behind bars after police found multiple guns and a massive amount of fentanyl in his home and storage unit.
Jason Scott Hurley is charged in one case with two counts of felony delivery of a controlled substance and two counts of felony possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
He is charged in a second case with felony possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver, felony possession with intent to manufacture or deliver a schedule IV controlled substance, three counts of felony unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance, and misdemeanor use or possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to use.
On Tuesday, Idaho Falls Police officers conducted a traffic stop on a car Hurley was driving in connection with a drug investigation. According to police, Hurley was speeding and made an unnecessary stop in the roadway.
A Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office K9 conducted a free-air sniff of the car and indicated the presence of an illegal substance in the vehicle.
Officers searched the car and found “numerous large bags with several thousand pills identified as counterfeit pills containing fentanyl (commonly called ‘dirty thirties’)” according to a news release from IFPD. “Officers also located bags with a white crystalline substance appearing to be methamphetamine, a small bag containing a brown tar substance appearing to be heroin, and two other small bags containing two different types of pills.”
The pills and the heroin all tested positive for fentanyl. Officers then located “several items of drug paraphernalia, materials consistent with the distribution of illegal narcotics, a loaded Ruger 9mm handgun with an additional magazine and bullets, and a fanny pack with several thousand dollars.”
Later that same day, investigators with IFPD executed a search warrant at Hurley’s home, where they found “a Glock 22, additional U.S. currency believed to be from drug sales, methamphetamine, fentanyl, drug paraphernalia, and multiple items commonly used in drug packaging and distribution including scales, baggies, and other materials,” according to IFPD.
Investigators also found a Louis Vuitton bag and Louis Vuitton shoes that officials determined to have been purchased on a ‘drug run’ with funds obtained through the sale of illegal drugs.
From both searches, officers seized a total of $30,013, 20 grams of methamphetamine, 2 grams of heroin, and approximately 7,000 fentanyl pills.
On Thursday around 1:27 pm, IFPD detectives obtained a search warrant to explore the contents of a storage unit owned by Hurley at Grand Teton Storage.
Detectives searched the storage unit with the management of the storage unit company, where they initially only found several large television boxes.
These same detectives had served a search warrant at Hurley’s home on Tuesday, where they remembered seeing several large televisions on the walls of the home.
They soon found a Savage Arms rifle with a scope leaning against the wall and covered in a blanket, along with a black shoebox that contained two 9mm guns, according to court documents.
Detectives identified the guns as coming from Nevada and Florida due to the text on the guns.
According to court documents, Hurley was convicted of felony possession of a controlled substance in 2016 in Kootenai County, which makes it illegal for him to possess firearms.
Detectives then found a brown Nike bag at the back of the storage unit that contained several bags of round blue pills with “M30 stamped on them.”
Police reports say there was a “large gallon-sized bag that was approximately 3/4 of the way full” of round blue pills and four smaller sandwich-style bags.
Detectives got the pills tested and confirmed they were fentanyl.
The total packaged weight of all bags combined was 2,112 grams, an estimated 21,000 pills.
The detective who wrote the probable cause affidavit stated, “This is an extremely large number of fentanyl pills and is way above the average normal user number of pills.”
According to the police report, fentanyl pills in the Idaho Falls area sell for an average of $10 per pill. This would mean the street value for this seizure would be at least $210,000.
On the inside of the Nike bag, detectives found small amounts of residual coffee grounds. Detectives also located “large plastic totes of opened coffee grounds” while searching Hurley’s house.
Detectives also found a tin with the fentanyl pills that contained 30 Suboxone strips. Suboxone is a prescription medicine used to treat opioid addiction.
Another black shoebox was found containing “several stacks of United States currency” totaling $3,198.
They also found a black pouch containing three bags of a “green leafy substance.” The bags were sealed from a marijuana dispensary in Missoula, Montana, and tested positive for 3.5 grams of marijuana.
Also inside the pouch, detectives found a used glass methamphetamine pipe, burnt foils, a digital scale, unused syringes, and several unused baggies.
Hurley was already in the Bonneville County Jail due to the search and seizure of his car and at his home, so after the search of the storage unit, a detective went to the jail and booked Hurley on additional charges.
His bond was set to $175,000 in the first case and $150,000 in the second case.
Though Hurley has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.
Hurley is expected to appear for a preliminary hearing on July 12. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison.