Thirteen People Indicted on Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

Thirteen people were indicted this week by a federal grand jury for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced. All thirteen have been arrested. Initial appearances were held for 12 of the 13 defendants on July 20, 2010. A trial has been scheduled for September 13, 2010.

The defendants have been identified as:

•Jose Gallardo-Dedios, 36, Nampa, Idaho

•Guadalupe Valenzuela, 42, Nampa, Idaho

•Heidi Tucker, 42, Meridian, Idaho

•Quentin Mick, 27, Boise, Idaho

•Jason Marr, 24, Boise, Idaho

•Francisco Quinones, 47, Los Angeles, California

•Jorge Valdez, 31, Nampa, Idaho

•Haylee Lindauer, 31, Boise, Idaho

•Kalli Lindauer, 28, Boise, Idaho

•Juan Antonio Arvizu-Betancourt, 63, Nampa, Idaho

•Shawn Peterson, 32, American Falls, Idaho

•Fortino Bastidas, 31, Los Angeles, California

•Nabor Martinez-Herrera, 47, Salt Lake City, Utah

According to the indictment, between March 2009 and July 2010, the defendants knowingly and intentionally conspired to distribute at least five hundred grams or more of methamphetamine.

The defendants each face a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in federal prison, up to life, and a fine of up to $4,000,000.

The Boise Police Department’s Bandit Drug Unit and the Drug Enforcement Administration, as part of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) led the investigation. The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force which supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. The Nampa Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Ada County Sheriff’s Office, Canyon County Sheriff’s Office, Idaho State Police, and Meridian Police Department assisted in the investigation.

An indictment is a means of charging a person with criminal activity. It is not evidence. The person is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.