United States Drug Enforcement Administration

BOISE, Idaho - Denise Dana Hanson, 59, of McCall, Idaho, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 140 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, today. Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye also ordered Hanson to serve five years of supervised release following her prison sentence. Hanson pleaded guilty to the charge on August 20, 2020.

According to court records, Hanson and her brother Daniel Joiner, also of McCall, were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five hundred grams or more of methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute five hundred grams or more of methamphetamine. Hanson was also indicted on two counts of distributing  methamphetamine. Their charges stemmed from an investigation into their large scale distribution of methamphetamine in McCall from January through August 2019. Law enforcement discovered that they would routinely travel to Boise to rent a vehicle, then drive to Las Vegas, Nevada to pick up several pounds of methamphetamine for distribution in McCall.

Local law enforcement partnered with the Drug Enforcement Administration and ultimately an undercover federal agent purchased methamphetamine from Hanson. Hanson and Joiner were arrested in Boise on August 3, 2019, after returning to Idaho from Las Vegas. Joiner was in possession of a 9mm pistol and Hanson was found to be in possession of 888 grams of pure methamphetamine.

After her arrest, Hanson called her son from the jail and in a recorded call, solicited him to hurt the confidential informant. In another recorded call, she stated that she would kill the undercover officer. At sentencing, Hanson was found to have obstructed justice and received an enhancement under the federal sentencing guidelines.

Hanson had twice previously been convicted of drug related felonies: attempted possession of controlled substance in state court in Las Vegas and two counts of illegal use of a communications facility in the U.S. District Court, District of Nevada. 

Joiner pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and on June 23, 2020, was sentenced to ten years in federal prison and five years of supervised release.

Acting U.S. Attorney Gonzalez credited the cooperative efforts of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Valley County Sheriff’s Office, Ada County Sheriff’s Office, Idaho State Police, and the McCall Police Department, which led to the charges.