Two men from eastern Idaho have been sentenced to federal prison in separate methamphetamine distribution cases, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis. Both cases were investigated by the BADGES Task Force, a group funded through the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program and composed of agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration, Pocatello Police Department, Idaho State Police, Bannock County Sheriff’s Office, and Chubbuck Police Department.
In the first case, Tamrik Paul Day, 27, of Spokane received a 60-month federal prison sentence for distributing methamphetamine. Court records show that Day sent methamphetamine through the mail in January and February 2024. On January 30, he sold 27 grams of methamphetamine; on February 15, he sold 55 grams. In both instances, Day used postal services to deliver the drugs and was paid via a mobile peer-to-peer financial platform.
U.S. Chief District Judge David C. Nye ordered Day to serve four years of supervised release after his prison term. Day pleaded guilty in September 2025.
U.S. Attorney Davis said: “I commend the Idaho State Police who led the investigation on behalf of the BADGES Task Force and the United States Postal Inspection Service who assisted in the investigation.” Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Zoie Laggis prosecuted this case.
In an unrelated case, Jessie Kim Mitchell, 64, of Pingree was also sentenced to 60 months in federal prison for distributing methamphetamine. According to court documents, Mitchell sold methamphetamine on three occasions in November 2024: six grams on November 6; fifty-two grams on November 15; and one hundred one grams on November 26. Mitchell has a prior conviction for delivery of a controlled substance from Bingham County in 1995.
Judge Nye ordered Mitchell to serve five years of supervised release following his sentence. Mitchell pleaded guilty in June 2025.
Davis stated: “I commend the Idaho State Police who led the investigation on behalf of the BADGES Task Force for their investigation which led to the charges in this case.” Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Zoie Laggis prosecuted this matter as well.
Both prosecutions were handled by a specially deputized Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA), funded by the Eastern Idaho Partnership (EIP) and State of Idaho. The EIP is a coalition involving local city and county officials along with the Idaho Department of Correction.
The EIP SAUSA program enables law enforcement agencies to prosecute violent criminals and drug traffickers at the federal level using resources from EIP SAUSA rather than state courts—often resulting in longer sentences for offenders.
Launched in January 2016, this program has indicted about 253 defendants so far; out of these indictments, approximately 190 were related to drug trafficking offenses. Collectively, those convicted under this initiative have received over twelve thousand months—about one thousand fifteen years—in federal prison sentences with an average term just over four years per defendant; those charged specifically with drug trafficking serve slightly longer terms averaging more than four years.
These investigations were conducted under HIDTA—a counterdrug grant program sponsored by the Office of National Drug Control Policy—which supports multiagency efforts like BADGES Task Force across Bannock County and neighboring regions.
