Stop ends in trafficking arrests

SANDPOINT — A Bonner County sheriff’s deputy discovered more than 60 grams of methamphetamine and more than 30 grams of black tar heroin during a traffic stop in Oldtown on Tuesday night.

Dana Allen Mark Northern, 26, of Rathdrum, and Miguel Antonio Roque, 24, of Spirit Lake, are charged with two counts of drug trafficking. They made initial appearances in Bonner County Magistrate Court on Wednesday via video feed from the Bonner County Jail.

Deputy Chad Vogt stopped the vehicle containing the two men because it was traveling 10 mph over the posted 35 mph speed limit on U.S. Highway 2 near the Washington state line, according to a probable cause affidavit. During the stop, the deputy contacted Northern’s probation and parole officer, who asked the deputy to search the vehicle.

A common condition of probation in Idaho requires probationers to be subject to searches by law officers.

The search uncovered 63.81 grams of meth and 35.91 grams of heroin, according to the affidavit.

In addition to the trafficking charges, Northern was further charged with unlawful possession of a firearm due to the discovery of a .45-caliber Hi-Point Firearms pistol. Northern is barred from possessing firearms due to a 2015 felony drug conviction in Kootenai County, according to the Idaho Supreme Court Data Repository.

Judge Lori Meulenberg, however, declined to find probable cause for the charges. Meulenberg wrote that there was insufficient evidence to sustain the charges because it was unclear who owned the vehicle the drugs were found or where the drugs were actually located when they were found. Meulenberg added that neither defendant admitted that the drugs were theirs, court documents indicate.

The charges remain in place, although the state will have to put forth additional evidence to obtain a finding of probable cause.

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