Nampa Man Pleads Guilty To Drug Crime

BOISE – Lawrence Joseph Kren, 64, of Nampa, Idaho, pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court to distributing methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Kren was indicted by a federal grand jury in Boise on April 8, 2014, charged with three counts of distributing methamphetamine.

According to information presented in court, Kren admitted to selling methamphetamine to another person, who was assisting law enforcement as a confidential informant. Kren admitted that he sold methamphetamine to the informant on three separate occasions in February and March 2014. Kren also admitted that he possessed firearms in connection with the drug distribution offense and that he showed the firearms to the informant.

The charge is punishable by up to twenty years in prison, a maximum fine of $1 million, and at least three years of supervised release. The government is seeking forfeiture of the firearms. Kren is scheduled for sentencing on November 12, 2014, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Boise.

The case was investigated by the Nampa Police Department and Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crimes Task Force. The Metro Task Force is comprised of federal, state and local agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Boise Police Department; Ada County Sheriff’s Office; Caldwell Police Department; Nampa Police Department; Meridian Police Department; Canyon County Sheriff’s Office; and Idaho Department of Probation and Parole.

The case is being prosecuted by the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney hired by the Treasure Valley Partnership and the State of Idaho to address gang crimes. The Treasure Valley Partnership is comprised of a group of elected officials in southwest Idaho dedicated to regional coordination, cooperation, and collaboration on creating coherent regional growth. For more information, visit treasurevalleypartners.org.