The cartels strike again—this time in the Gem State. Rigoverto Hernandez, a Caldwell-based gang member, was finally sentenced last week after he was caught trafficking 19,900 fentanyl pills and 13.5 pounds of methamphetamine at his AirBnB in 2023. According to law enforcement, Hernandez sold fentanyl on the streets, providing profit to cartel suppliers.
In a press release, Canyon County Sheriff Kieran Donahue said, “If you traffic poisonous and deadly drugs in Idaho, we will find you, we will prosecute you, and we will send you to prison. That’s a promise.”
Unfortunately though, that’s not always the case. Currently, fentanyl trafficking is not subjected to the mandatory minimum prison sentences that other drug traffickers face, meaning that soft-on-crime judges can let dangerous criminals back on the street before they’ve served their time.
House Bill 406 – which is sponsored by Rep. Ted Hill (R-Eagle) and Sen. Todd Lakey (R-Nampa) – closes this loophole by establishing mandatory minimums for fentanyl trafficking and creating the crime of drug-induced homicide.
This legislation recently passed off the House floor—but it faces an uphill battle in the Senate, where it will be considered TOMORROW (February 7) by the Judiciary and Rules Committee.
Send a message asking committee members to support this important legislation so we can make clear that Idahoans will no longer tolerate fentanyl trafficking!
We need voters like you to make your voice heard on this issue. With your help, we can protect our communities and the lives of our neighbors from the deluge of fentanyl streaming across our borders!
