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Two men sentenced for trafficking fentanyl after arrest in Pocatello

LEGAL NEWSLINE

Wednesday, December 25, 2024

Two men sentenced for trafficking fentanyl after arrest in Pocatello

Attorneys & Judges
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U.S. Attorney Joshua D. Hurwit | U.S. Department of Justice

Andrew George Haney, 41, from Torrance, California, and Anthony Michael Stratton, 35, of Pocatello, have been sentenced to federal prison for conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit.

Court records reveal that in May 2023, Stratton provided Haney with funds to transport 2,000 fentanyl pills from California to Idaho. Haney acquired the multicolored pills and concealed them in candy boxes. The Pocatello Police Department, part of the BADGES Task Force, conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle carrying Stratton and Haney and discovered the pills containing fentanyl.

Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye sentenced Haney on April 23, 2024, to 70 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. On December 5, 2024, Stratton received a sentence of 44 months in federal prison from Judge Nye. His sentence will run concurrently with a five-year fixed sentence plus ten years indeterminate for a Bannock County fentanyl distribution case. After his state sentence concludes, Stratton will serve a three-year term of federal supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Hurwit praised the efforts of the Pocatello Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration in collaboration with Idaho State Police and Bannock County Sheriff’s Office for their roles in leading to these charges. Assistant U.S. Attorney Blythe H. McLane prosecuted the case under the Eastern Idaho Partnership (EIP).

The BADGES Task Force comprises federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies focusing on drug trafficking crimes within Bannock County and beyond.

The U.S. Attorney's Office handled this case through its specially deputized Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA), funded by EIP and the State of Idaho—a coalition including local city and county officials as well as the Idaho Department of Correction.

Since its inception in January 2016, about 175 defendants have been indicted by EIP SAUSA; among them are 152 indicted on drug trafficking charges resulting in an average prison sentence of approximately 61 months for these offenses.

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