Man pleads guilty to federal drug trafficking charge after approximately 356 grams of meth seized

According to U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis, a 62-year-old Rockland man pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.

Norman Hyrum Turnbeaugh was indicted by a federal grand jury in Pocatello on March 27, 2018.

According to court records, investigators from Power County Sheriff’s Office, Bannock County Sheriff’s Office, Rexburg Police Department and other cooperating agencies served a search warrant on Turnbeaugh’s home in Rockland on July 11, 2017.

During the search of Turnbeaugh’s garage, investigators found approximately 356 grams of methamphetamine, packaged in eleven small bags.

Turnbeaugh had stashed the methamphetamine in a barrel of chicken feed.

Investigators also found approximately 2.6 pounds of marijuana in Turnbeaugh’s bedroom, as well as guns in the house and garage.

The charge of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine is punishable by up to 40 years in prison, a $5,000,000 fine, and at least four years of federal supervised release after incarceration.

Turnbeaugh’s sentencing is set for December 4, 2018 before Chief U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Pocatello.

This case was investigated through the combined efforts of the Power County Sheriff’s Office, the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office, the Rexburg Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Power County Prosecutor’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the Eastern Idaho Partnership (EIP).

“This case is another great example of the teamwork of the Eastern Idaho Partnership,” said U.S. Attorney Bart Davis. “We are very happy to have such a close relationship with our local partners. Efforts like this one help make our communities safer.”