Meth case moved to federal court

The defendant in one of the biggest meth cases in Weiser in recent years will be prosecuted in  federal court rather than in district court in Washington County.
 A federal grand jury indicted Arthur Hubert Meyer III on one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The charge carries a penalty of imprisonment for at least 10 years and up to life and a $10 million fine.
 The indictment also states that federal prosecutors plan to pursue forfeiture proceeding and go after any property or cash belonging to Meyer that was obtained directly or indirectly from the alleged drug trafficking. 
 At a Dec. 18 hearing in U.S. District Court in Boise, Meyer pleaded not guilty to the felony charge. A trial date was set for Feb. 11 in Boise before Judge B. Lynn Winmill.
 Meyer, 52, who listed a Butte, Mont., address was arrested on suspicion of trafficking meth last August after Weiser police found a bag containing 223 grams of meth in the trunk of a vehicle he was driving. 
 Meyer was pulled over at 1:46 a.m. on Aug. 27 by a WPD officer on a traffic stop after he failed to use his turn signal when turning north onto Highway 95 from East Main Street. 
 A check on the identification of a passenger in the vehicle revealed she was wanted on a warrant out of Kootenai County for failure to appear and also had a suspended driver’s license. 
 When asked if there was anything illegal in the car, she produced a small container of marijuana.
 During a search of the vehicle, the WPD officer noticed the carpet in the trunk had been pulled up in one spot. Between the trunk carpeting and fender well he found a bag containing suspected meth. 
 At the police department, the substance tested presumptive positive for meth. The bag weighed 223 grams. The amount of marijuana totaled 3 grams, along with a pipe.
 Both Meyer and the female passenger were transported to the Washington County Jail. 
 While awaiting court hearings in Washington County, Meyer’s attorney was able to get his bond reduced to $100,000 and he posted the amount. 
 He left Idaho and returned to Montana, where he was arrested on a warrant issued by U.S. District Court in Idaho based on the indictment.
 Washington County Prosecuting Attorney Delton Walker said the U.S. Attorney’s office in Idaho was interested in the case from the start because of the quantity of drugs seized.
 Third District Court Judge Susan Weibe dismissed the state trafficking case on Dec. 11 after the county prosecutor filed a motion to do so based on the federal indictment.
 Walker said most counties dismiss the local case once the federal government takes the case. It clears the way for them to take custody of the defendant and seek a stiffer sentence than state courts. The federal law has a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years.
 “We don’t have a penalty like that available,” Walker said.
 

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