Couple jailed on trafficking charges

KOOTENAI — Seven ounces of methamphetamine destined for Bonner County’s narcotics underworld was interdicted during a traffic stop earlier this month.

John Lee Hazelton was arrested Friday, May 8, on charges of trafficking the illegal stimulant and unlawfully possessing a loaded .357 magnum pistol. The bust led to the follow-on arrest of Hazelton’s wife, Yvonne Diana Duran, and the search of the couple’s home at 167 Jeffrey Drive on Monday, May 11.

Duran is also charged with trafficking meth and possession of meth. She made an initial appearance in Bonner County Magistrate Court on May 12 via video link with the Bonner County Jail. However, minutes from the hearing were not immediately available.

Duran was pulled over by Deputy Darren Osborn in Kootenai for failing to heed a stop sign, according to a probable cause affidavit. A K9 alerted to the presence of contraband in the vehicle and the couple gave conflicting explanations of where they had come from and what they were doing, the affidavit said.

The meth and pistol were found concealed behind the trunk liner of Duran’s Lexus 250 sedan, according to court documents.

Hazelton, 59, told the deputy he purchased the meth in Seattle and planned to sell it locally, the affidavit said.

Hazelton’s right to possess a firearm is dimmed out due to a felony drug conviction in Deschutes County, Ore., in 2002, court documents indicate.

The state is also seeking an enhanced sentence in Hazelton’s case due to the prior conviction and another conviction for burglary in Brown County, South Dakota, in 1983.

Unlawful possession of a firearm is punishable by up to five years in prison, while the trafficking charge can result in a five-to-life term if convicted.

The sentencing enhancement — Idaho’s version of a three-strikes law — would add five years to life to the underlying prison terms.

Information gleaned during Hazelton’s arrest and a confidential source resulted in the issuance of a search warrant, which led to discovery of an unspecified amount of meth, intravenous drug paraphernalia, pills, a scale and Naloxone, a drug which rapidly reverses an opioid overdose, court documents indicate.

Duran, 52, told investigators that Hazelton directed her to stash spots in the home which held money and drugs, an affidavit said. Duran said she gathered the drugs and money, put it into a grocery bag and tossed it over a fence under the belief that she would not be charged if she didn’t have the drugs on her property, the affidavit said.

The drugs and money, however, could not be located despite a thorough ground search, court documents said.

Preliminary hearings in the couple’s respective cases are pending.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.