IDAHO FALLS, ID – Two Montana residents are facing felony drug trafficking charges after Idaho Falls Police seized over 25 pounds of methamphetamine during a coordinated traffic stop and vehicle search last week.
On July 11, Idaho Falls Police investigators with the Special Investigations Unit were alerted by law enforcement partners that a vehicle suspected of transporting narcotics might be entering the area. Officers located the vehicle at the Love’s Truck Stop on South 45th Road and observed a traffic violation as it reentered the roadway. A traffic stop was initiated on Interstate 15 near milepost 117.
A police K9 responded and gave a positive alert for the odor of narcotics, prompting a roadside search of the vehicle. Inside the rear liftgate panel, officers found 13 bundles wrapped in black electrical tape, weighing between 222 and 514 grams each. Two bundles tested positive for methamphetamine.
Additional drugs were located inside a purse and the vehicle’s center console, including 13.9 grams of cocaine, 4.85 grams of methamphetamine, and drug paraphernalia. The driver, identified as 38-year-old Cody Davidson of Great Falls, Montana, admitted the items belonged to him and was found carrying more methamphetamine in a glass jar during his arrest.
The vehicle was transported to the Idaho Falls Police Complex, where a secondary search uncovered 11 more bundles of suspected meth hidden in a door panel. In total, 24 bundles were seized, weighing over 25 pounds.
Davidson admitted he intended to transport the drugs from Las Vegas to Montana. The passenger, 50-year-old Diane Walters, also of Great Falls, acknowledged knowing about the methamphetamine and using it during the trip.
Davidson was arrested for trafficking methamphetamine, possession of cocaine, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Walters was arrested for trafficking methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia. Both suspects were booked into the Bonneville County Jail.
Idaho Falls Police Chief Bryce Johnson credited the arrest to the collaborative work of multiple law enforcement agencies.
“Those partnerships make it possible for us to make a stronger impact in the fight against illegal narcotics and the harm they do in our communities,” Johnson stated.
Assisting agencies included the Davis County Task Force in Utah, Great Falls Police, the DEA, Bonneville and Madison County Sheriff’s Offices, and the Idaho State Police.
