Royal City Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Meth
COEUR D'ALENE – Severiano V. Valle, 49, of Royal City, Washington, pleaded guilty yesterday in United States District Court in Coeur d'Alene to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.
According to the plea agreement, Valle was stopped by the Kootenai County Interdiction Team on February 8, 2011. A dog specially trained to detect the presence of drugs alerted law enforcement to 449 grams of methamphetamine in the trunk of Valle's car. Valle admitted he was taking the methamphetamine to another person.
The charge is punishable by a minimum term of five years in prison up to a maximum of 40 years, a maximum fine of $5 million, and a minimum term of four years of supervised release.
Sentencing is set for March 26, 2012, before U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge at the federal courthouse in Coeur d'Alene.
The case was investigated by the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office and the North Idaho Violent Crime Task Force (NIVCTF). NIVCTF members include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Idaho State Police, Kootenai County Sheriff's Office, Shoshone County Sheriff's Office, Bonner County Sheriff's Office, Coeur d'Alene Police Department, Post Falls Police Department, and the Coeur d'Alene Tribal Police Department. The NIVCTF investigates a myriad of violent crimes, including armed robbery, kidnapping, felonious assault and drug trafficking.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is a collaborative effort by federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and communities to prevent and deter gun violence.
