Two Men Sentenced to Federal Prison in Separate Drug Cases Investigated by the BADGES Task Force

POCATELLO – U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced the results of two separate drug distribution cases in eastern Idaho today.  Both cases were investigated by the BADGES Task Force, which is a HIDTA-funded task force that includes the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Pocatello Police Department, the Idaho State Police, the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office, and the Chubbuck Police Department.

In the first case, Tamrik Paul Day, 27, of Spokane, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison for distribution of methamphetamine.

According to court records, Day distributed methamphetamine through the mail in January and February 2024. On January 30, 2024, Day sold 27 grams of methamphetamine to another person.  On February 15, 2024, Day sold 55 grams of methamphetamine to another person.  On both occasions Day used the mail to send the methamphetamine, and the purchaser paid Day through a mobile peer-to-peer financial platform.

U.S. Chief District Judge David C. Nye also ordered Day to serve four years of supervised release following his prison sentence.  Day pleaded guilty to the charges in September 2025.

U.S. Attorney Davis commended the Idaho State Police, who led the investigation on behalf of the BADGES Task Force, and the United States Postal Inspection Service, who assisted in the investigation. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Zoie Laggis prosecuted this case.

In a separate and unrelated case, Jessie Kim Mitchell, 64, of Pingree, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison for distribution of methamphetamine.

According to court records, Mitchell sold methamphetamine to another person on three occasions in November 2024. On November 6, 2024, Mitchell sold 6 grams of methamphetamine. On November 15, 2024, Mitchell sold 52 grams of methamphetamine.  On November 26, 2024, Mitchell sold 101 grams of methamphetamine. Mitchell was previously convicted of delivery of a controlled substance in Bingham County in 1995.

U.S. Chief District Judge David C. Nye also ordered Mitchell to serve 5 years of supervised release following his prison sentence. Mitchell pleaded guilty to the charge in June 2025.

U.S. Attorney Davis commended the Idaho State Police, who led the investigation on behalf of the BADGES Task Force, for their investigation which led to the charges in this case.  Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Zoie Laggis prosecuted this case.

These cases were handled by the U.S. Attorney Office’s specially deputized Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA), funded by the Eastern Idaho Partnership (EIP) and the State of Idaho. The EIP is a coalition of local city and county officials in eastern Idaho as well as the Idaho Department of Correction.

The EIP SAUSA program allows law enforcement to utilize the federal criminal justice system – through the EIP SAUSA – to prosecute, convict, and sentence violent, armed criminals and drug traffickers. These criminals often receive stiffer penalties than they might in state courts.

This program was created in January 2016. Since that time, approximately 253 defendants have been indicted by the EIP SAUSA. Of these defendants, 190 have been indicted on drug trafficking charges. The defendants indicted under the program have been sentenced to 12,187 months (approximately 1,015.58 years) in federal prison, representing an average prison sentence of 48.16 months (4.01 years). Defendants indicted for drug trafficking offenses serve, on average, approximately 53.25 months (4.44 years) in federal prison.

These cases were investigated through the Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program. HIDTA is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates with and provides funding resources to multiagency drug enforcement initiatives, including the BADGES Task Force.

The BADGES Task Force is a collaboration of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies that focuses primarily on drug trafficking in Bannock County and throughout the region.

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