POCATELLO – Two Idaho men pleaded guilty today in federal court to charges of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Leland Dean Johnson, 31, of Rupert, and Richard Dean Rivera, 44, of Burley, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald E. Bush at the federal courthouse in Pocatello.

According to the plea agreements, Johnson admitted that on April 19, 2011, he arranged to sell four ounces of methamphetamine to an individual in Burley. The two later met and Johnson gave the person in excess of 50 grams of actual methamphetamine, for payment. On May 17, 2011, Johnson again arranged to sell the individual methamphetamine. When unable to complete the transaction, Johnson gave the person Rivera's name and phone number. Rivera later met with the individual in Burley and completed the transaction. Both Johnson and Rivera admitted the substance they were selling was methamphetamine.

The charge of conspiracy to distribute in excess of 50 grams of actual methamphetamine is punishable by a term of 10 years up to life i

Johnson and Rivera are scheduled to be sentenced on July 10, 2012, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill in Pocatello.

The indictment was the result of a joint investigation of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), led by the Idaho State Police, in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Administration.

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.