Drug smuggler sentenced to 10 years prison
COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho (KIFI) – A 39-year-old of San Diego, California, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced.
According to court records, on October 23, 2020, U.S. Border Patrol agents spotted Dalila Miller’s vehicle in a remote area in North Idaho near the U.S. and Canadian Border. Agents from both the U.S. and Canada responded to the area. When U.S. Border Patrol arrived at the location Miller’s vehicle was initially seen, they located two men standing near bags containing 227 pounds of methamphetamine and cocaine. The two men immediately fled into Canada leaving the bags behind. U.S. agents eventually tracked down and stopped Miller in her vehicle leaving the area and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) tracked down and arrested the two men who had fled into Canada after running from U.S. Border Patrol. The men arrested by the RCMP were identified as Lawrence Edward Dwyer of Cranbrook, British Columbia, and Jason Cyrus Arkinstall, of Mission City, British Columbia. Arkinstall is a member of the Mission City chapter of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club. Both Arkinstall and Dwyer were prosecuted in Canada for their involvement in the incident.
Miller was sentenced by Chief District Judge David C. Nye on Wednesday June 28, 2023, in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Upon completion of her prison time, Miller was also ordered to serve an additional five years of supervised release.
Miller was ultimately indicted by the District of Idaho for her role in the offense, in December 2022, she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine. Law enforcement’s investigation showed that Miller had traveled from the Seattle, Washington area with the bags containing methamphetamine and cocaine and dropped them off at the border where it was to be packed across into Canada.
U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit, of the District of Idaho, credited the cooperative efforts of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Border Patrol, Boundary County Sheriff’s Office, Idaho State Police, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, which led to the charges.
