Bannock County drug task force seizes 5,000 fentanyl pills, arrest one
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POCATELLO — After a months-long investigation, the Bannock County HIDTA Task Force served multiple search warrants resulting in one arrest and the seizure of drugs and money.
Jonely Emanuel Rivera, 35, has been charged with a felony for possession of fentanyl with the intent to deliver, court records show.
According to an affidavit of probable cause obtained by EastIdahoNews.com, the approximate street value of the seized drugs is between $80,000 and $120,000. The affidavit also states that Rivera and the Honduran Cartel with which he is associated has distributed “at least 72,000 pills to the southeast Idaho area.”
Rivera’s arrest came at the conclusion of an investigation by the Bannock County High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, according to a Facebook post from the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office.
Members of the BADGES Task Force, which is made up of Pocatello and Chubbuck police officers and Bannock County Sheriff’s deputies, served a search warrant on July 17, the post says.
During the execution of that search, officers found 1,000 fentanyl pills, more than $3,000 cash and several hundred lottery tickets. They also seized a phone, suspected methamphetamine and suspected marijuana.
The following day, a second warrant was served on a Toyota Corolla, driven by Rivera, at a gas station in Malad City.
Oneida County Sheriff’s deputies and members of the Bannock County HIDTA Task Force were acting on information provided by confidential informants from the Salt Lake City area when they made contact with Rivera, according to the affidavit.
Detectives tried to set a meet in Pocatello, where they would buy 4,000 fentanyl from Rivera for $10,000. Rivera refused, though, saying Pocatello would be too long a drive. Eventually, the detectives and Rivera agreed to meet in Malad City.
When Rivera arrived at the gas station, detectives confirmed his identity and placed him under arrest, the affidavit says.
While searching Rivera, detectives found approximately 50 fentanyl pills in his pocket. Another 4,000 pills and cash were later found in his car.
The bulk of the fentanyl pills were inside a re-sealed Dorito chips bag, according to the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office Facebook post.
Though Rivera has been charged with this crime, it does not necessarily mean he committed it. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.
If he is found guilty, Rivera could face up to life in prison.
He is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing before Magistrate Judge David Hooste on August 3.