Three Pounds Of Meth Seized During Arrest

State narcotics officers say they found three pounds of methamphetamine Monday when they arrested a Bonner County man.

It was the largest methamphetamine bust ever made in North Idaho, said Wayne Longo, supervisor for the state Criminal Investigations Bureau in Coeur d’Alene.

Ron Keys, 51, of Blanchard, Idaho, was arrested on a charge of trafficking in methamphetamine. He faces 10 years in prison if convicted.

State narcotics officers along with members of the Bonner County Drug Task Force arrested Keys at about 2:30 p.m. Monday near the intersection of Highway 41 and Blanchard Road.

“We knew a shipment would be coming in and we intercepted it,” Longo said. He declined to say where the drugs came from.

“We had been looking at this guy for quite some time,” he said. “Things came together.”

Longo estimated the methamphetamine had a street value of at least $50,000.

Police officials throughout the

state say methamphetamine use is increasing in the Northwest.

Methamphetamine cases handled by the state narcotics officers have increased almost eight-fold from 18 in 1992 to 137 so far this year.

Meth cases are particularly difficult for drug agents to work on, Longo said. The drug, a synthetic stimulant, often produces paranoia in its users making it difficult for officers to get information.

Longo believes the drugs found on Keys were destined for consumption in North Idaho.

“We feel like we’ve taken a pretty good amount off the street,” he said.

Keys is being held in the Bonner County Jail on $25,000 bail.

, DataTimes