(BOISE, ID) – Jason Earl Wright, 49, of Jerome, was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced today.
According to court records, Wright was involved in a drug trafficking organization spanning Idaho and Oregon, though his conduct was limited to the Idaho arm of this organization. Wright was found with a total of more than one and a quarter pounds of methamphetamine, two firearms, and a small amount of cocaine between the dates of June 28, 2023 and February 7, 2024. When he was arrested after his federal indictment, he was in possession of a loaded handgun, two loaded magazines, more than an ounce of methamphetamine, two cell phones, two scales, small plastic baggies, and two drug ledgers.
Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Wright to pay a $500 fine and to serve four years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
U.S. Attorney Hurwit commended the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Nampa Police Department Special Investigations Unit, the Meridian Police Department, the Boise Police Department, the Oregon State Police High Desert Drug Task Force, and the U.S. Marshals Service, which led to the charges and arrest. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Morse and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Marie Chong prosecuted this case.
This case was prosecuted by the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney hired by the Ada County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office with funds provided by the Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program. HIDTA is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates with and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement initiatives, including the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney position.
The High Desert Drug Task Force is a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force that identifies, disrupts, and dismantles local, multi-state, and international drug trafficking organizations using an intelligence-driven, multi-agency prosecutor-supported approach. They are supported by the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA).