Friday, July 17, 2015

Idaho Falls Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Related Charges

POCATELLO – Gerardo Botello, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, pleaded guilty today in United States District Court to distribution of methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.

According to the plea agreement on May 23, 2011, an undercover officer met with Botello at his residence in Idaho Falls, Idaho. At that meeting the undercover officer purchased 53.7 grams of actual methamphetamine from Botello.

Botello’s charge is punishable by ten years to life in prison, a maximum fine of ten million dollars, and at least five years of supervised release.

Sentencing is set for October 21, 2015, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Pocatello.

The case was the result of a joint investigation of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), led jointly by the Idaho State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigations, in conjunction with, U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Bonneville County
Sheriff's Office, Idaho Falls Police Department, Idaho State Police, and the Bonneville County Prosecutor’s Office.

The OCDETF program is a federal multi agency, multi jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.