Eastern Idaho cocaine dealer sentenced

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) – A 51-year-old Idaho Falls man was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 58 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute cocaine, Acting U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez, Jr. announced Monday.

U.S. District Judge David C. Nye also ordered Charles Lee Schmidt to serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence.

Schmidt pleaded guilty to the charge on October 13, 2020.

According to court records, on May 20, 2019, a confidential informant, under the direction of law enforcement, purchased 36 grams of cocaine from Schmidt for $1,200. The controlled purchase took place in an Idaho Falls grocery store parking lot.

According to court records, in July 2019, law enforcement received information that a person, later confirmed to be Schmidt, was distributing controlled substances out of a residence in Idaho Falls. On July 31, 2019, law enforcement obtained and executed a search warrant for the residence. Schmidt was present when law enforcement executed the search warrant and seized 173.31 grams of methamphetamine and 1.3 grams of LSD.

This case was investigated by the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office and the Idaho Falls Police Department.