Fentanyl Trafficking Epidemic Hits Idaho: 11,000 Deadly Pills Seized, Woman Sentenced to Prison
BOISE, Idaho – In a major blow to the fentanyl trafficking epidemic, a 42-year-old Idaho Falls woman, Patricia Gomez, was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced today. Gomez will serve three years of supervised release after her term of incarceration.
The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Amanda K. Brailsford after Gomez was found guilty of conspiring with four codefendants to distribute the deadly opioid. Three of the codefendants, Juan Villa, 34, Tyson Mitchell, 37, and Kevin Sermon, 34, were incarcerated for prior drug crimes during the conspiracy.
Villa, who had previously been arrested after bringing 20,000 fentanyl pills into Idaho, recruited Gomez and Summer Jones, 37, of Idaho Falls, to receive drugs from a California-based source of supply and transport them to Idaho for further distribution. On May 29, 2023, Gomez traveled outside of Idaho to obtain a drug load in furtherance of the conspiracy, and on May 30, 2023, she returned to Idaho with 11,000 fentanyl pills in her vehicle, which was subsequently stopped by investigators and she was arrested.
The cooperative efforts of the Idaho Falls Police Department, the Idaho State Police, and the Drug Enforcement Administration were commended by U.S. Attorney Hurwit for their work on the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Atwood and Francis Zebari prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation, which targets the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States.
Gomez’s sentence is a significant blow to the fentanyl trafficking epidemic in Idaho, which has seen a surge in overdose deaths and hospitalizations in recent years. The case serves as a reminder of the importance of law enforcement’s efforts to disrupt and dismantle these deadly trafficking networks.
Related Federal Cases
- Jonathan Joseph Monaco, Methamphetamine and Fentanyl Trafficking, Idaho 2023 · Idaho
- Justin Gomez, Methamphetamine Trafficking, Idaho 2017 · Idaho
- Brian Arthur Goodale, Fentanyl Trafficking, Idaho 2023 · Washington
- Oscar Alejandro Perez-Gomez, Methamphetamine Trafficking, Idaho 2022 · Idaho
- Juan Vidrio Fuentes, Meth-Fentanyl Trafficking, Montana 2024 · Utah
Key Facts
- State: Idaho
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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