Feds Drop Hammer On Oregon-Idaho Meth Pipeline With 37-Year Sentences

Federal judges have slammed the door on an Oregon-Idaho methamphetamine pipeline, sentencing four people this week to a combined roughly 37½ years in prison after a two-year investigation that stretched from California suppliers to small communities in southwestern Idaho and eastern Oregon.

The case, which started in 2024, ended with prison terms ranging from two years to nearly 16 years for defendants from Caldwell, Boise and Ontario, Oregon. The four are identified as Juan Pulido of Caldwell; Maleah Rochelle Benavidez and Daniel Ryan Carrion of Ontario; and Wesley John Roehl of Boise.

Sentences and Defendants

According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Idaho, 44-year-old Juan Pulido of Caldwell drew the stiffest term: 188 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Prosecutors noted Pulido had four prior drug-trafficking convictions.

Two Ontario residents, 31-year-old Maleah Rochelle Benavidez and 38-year-old Daniel Ryan Carrion, each received 120 months in prison and five years of supervised release. The fourth defendant, 41-year-old Wesley John Roehl of Boise, was sentenced to 24 months in prison and three years of supervised release. In total, the sentences add up to about 37½ years.

Prosecutors' Statements

Federal officials framed the case as part of a broader crackdown on meth flowing into the region from out of state. “Out-of-state acquisition of illegal narcotics endangers our community,” U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis said, while Robert A. Saccone, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Seattle Field Division, said the investigation “reflects DEA's commitment to disrupting drug trafficking organizations that threaten the safety of our communities,” according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Idaho. Officials credited a multiagency effort with bringing the case to federal court and securing the convictions.

How the Investigation Unfolded

Investigators say the probe kicked off in 2024 after tips and surveillance pointed to meth shipments moving into southwestern Idaho and eastern Oregon. Over the course of the case, agents seized more than 17 pounds of methamphetamine and traced the network to suppliers in California.

At one point, prosecutors say Carrion tried to outrun officers in a high-speed chase and hurled about a pound of meth into an open field. Officers later recovered the drugs. The investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration with help from the Nampa Police Department and the Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program, as noted by DEA Seattle.

HIDTA and Local Partners

The Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program bankrolled and coordinated much of the work, providing funding, intelligence and task-force support for the operation. The Oregon-Idaho HIDTA describes its mission as helping law enforcement across both states “identify, disrupt and dismantle” drug-trafficking organizations, including cases like this one.

What Supervised Release Means

For the three defendants who will serve supervised release after prison, the punishment does not end at the prison gate. They will be subject to court-ordered conditions such as drug testing, travel limits and possible treatment requirements, and judges can revoke their release and send them back to custody if they violate those rules, according to U.S. Courts. Officials say the case is one piece of a broader regional push targeting both out-of-state suppliers and the local distributors who move their product into Idaho and Oregon.