Twin Falls Man Sentenced to Over 13 Years in Federal Prison for Gun and Drug Crimes

BOISE – Fred Zapata Paiz, 29, of Twin Falls, was sentenced last Thursday in U.S. District Court to 162 months in federal prison for the possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and a concurrent sentence of 120 months in prison for unlawfully possessing firearms, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced.  Paiz was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Edward J. Lodge. A federal grand jury indicted Paiz on November 15, 2017.

According to court records, in July 2017, police were dispatched to a vehicle accident involving injuries in Twin Falls.  When police arrived, they found Paiz in one of the vehicles.  Police found over eight ounces of methamphetamine nearby.  Inside the vehicle, police found a loaded .40 caliber pistol, $670, and a digital scale.  Paiz was prohibited from possessing firearms because of a prior felony conviction for possession of controlled substances.

Later, in October 2017, police officers in Gooding, Idaho, found Paiz in a vehicle.  Paiz was arrested on an outstanding warrant for his arrest.  During a search of the vehicle, police officers found over six ounces of methamphetamine, a loaded 9mm pistol, and $2,200.

This case was investigated by the Twin Falls County Sheriff’s Office, Twin Falls Police Department, Gooding Police Department, Gooding County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted in coordination with the Twin Falls County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Grant Loebs, Prosecutor.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

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