United States Drug Enforcement Administration

BOISE, Idaho – A Caldwell man was sentenced to 96 months in federal prison for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.

According to court records, Travis Rouse, 53, of Caldwell, aided and abetted his co-defendant in transporting methamphetamine from Mexico to Idaho prior to his arrest on February 19, 2021. During his arrest, law enforcement officers searched the vehicle occupied by him and his co-defendant and found approximately 15 pounds of methamphetamine and 25 marijuana starter plants. Law enforcement officers also found tools commonly used by drug traffickers to repackage their controlled substances for sale such as a digital scale and empty zip loc baggies.

Rouse has a prior federal conviction for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in the District of Iowa. He also has state convictions for possession of drug paraphernalia and assault -domestic violence in Canyon County, Idaho.

Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye also ordered Rouse to serve five years of supervised release following his prison sentence. Rouse pleaded guilty to the charge on November 21, 2021.

On November 30, 2021, the co-defendant, Patrick Collingwood, was sentenced to 108 months in federal prison followed by four years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez, Jr., of the District of Idaho made the announcement and applauded the efforts of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Ada County Sheriff’s Office, and the City County Narcotics Unit consisting of officers from the Caldwell Police Department and the Canyon County Sheriff’s office, which led to the charges.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

This case was prosecuted by the Special Assistant United States Attorney hired by the Ada County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office with funds provided by the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program. HIDTA is part of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) created by Congress with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988. It provides assistance to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States. Idaho is part of the Oregon-Idaho HIDTA. The Idaho HIDTA is a collaboration of local, multi-jurisdictional law enforcement drug task forces, and prosecuting agencies dedicated to addressing regional drug trafficking organizations that operate in Ada, Canyon, Bannock, Kootenai, and Malheur Counties.
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