Menan Man Sentenced for Trafficking Fentanyl

POCATELLO - William Brian Thomson, 37, of Menan, was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced today.

According to court records, Bonneville County Sheriff's deputies stopped a vehicle that was driven by Thomson. He fled on foot and was apprehended by law enforcement a short distance away. During a search of the vehicle, law enforcement discovered approximately 1,739 blue pills that later tested positive for fentanyl, a quarter pound of methamphetamine, and other drugs.

A federal grand jury returned an indictment for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl in July of 2023. Thomson entered a guilty plea on April 24, 2024. Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Thomson to serve three years of federal supervised release following his prison sentence.

U.S. Attorney Hurwit commended the work of Bonneville County Sheriff's Office, which led to the charges. Assistant U.S. Attorney, formerly the Eastern Idaho Partnership Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, Blythe McLane prosecuted the case.

This case was 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 224 defendants have been indicted by the EIP SAUSA. Of these defendants, 145 have been indicted on drug trafficking charges. The defendants indicted under the program have been sentenced to 10,477 months (approximately 873 years) in federal prison, representing an average prison sentence of 46.77 months (3.89 years). Defendants indicted for drug trafficking offenses serve, on average, approximately 72.25 months (6.02 years) in federal prison.

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