BOISE, Idaho — U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland paid a visit to the Gem State to meet with Idaho's local law enforcement leaders on Tuesday.
The meeting centered on fighting violent crime and the drug epidemic through law enforcement partnerships.
"I knew that the most powerful tool we would have in fighting violent crime all across the country was our partnerships with state, local and federal law enforcement agencies," Garland said during the meeting.
Garland touted an anti-violent crime strategy the DOJ has implemented based on those partnerships. He cited an Idaho State Police report that says murders in Idaho dropped by 15% from 2022 to 2023 and overall violent crime is down - but he said progress still needs to be made in many communities.
"In any event, there is no acceptable level of violent crime," Garland said. "The Justice Department is working in Idaho and across the country to arrest violent felons, to seize and trace guns used in violent crime, to disrupt violent drug trafficking and to prosecute the individuals and the gangs most responsible for the highest degree of violence."
U.S. Attorney for the District of Idaho Josh Hurwit welcomed Garland at the start of the meeting.
"The Attorney General really just wanted to hear what's on the minds of our law enforcement partners," Hurwit said.
Hurwit said his office is working closely on addressing our local law enforcement's top priorities - including the fentanyl epidemic.
"For us, it's doing more of the same when it comes to cartels - they're starting to really seep into Idaho a little bit more unfortunately," Hurwit said. "We're making sure that we're fighting back through those partnerships that we talked about and were on display today. The state police, our sheriffs, and our police chiefs really get good intelligence so that at the federal level we can prosecute the most significant threats to our communities."
Last month, a man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute about 7,000 fentanyl pills in the Magic Valley. The arrest was part of a large-scale drug trafficking investigation.
"In Idaho when it comes to fentanyl trafficking, our goal is to not only just take the drugs off the street - which is of course, really important - but to work our way up the supply chain," Hurwit said. "So, we're taking out not just the mid-range dealers that might be in Idaho or those people bringing in large loads into Idaho, but also the ultimate suppliers that are associated with the cartels."