Idaho Falls Man Faces Felony Cocaine Trafficking Charge After Traffic Stop Uncovers Drugs Hidden in Tic Tac Container
Bonneville County Deputy Initiates Stop on North Ammon Road, K-9 Unit Called to Scene
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — A 54-year-old Idaho Falls man is facing felony trafficking charges after a routine traffic stop by a Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office deputy led to the discovery of nearly 49 grams of cocaine concealed in everyday containers, including a Tic Tac mints container, according to a police booking affidavit.
Von Lane Fisher, of Idaho Falls, has been charged with felony trafficking of cocaine, felony possession of contraband, misdemeanor possession of contraband, and two misdemeanor counts of possession of drug paraphernalia. If convicted on the trafficking charge, Fisher faces a mandatory minimum of three years to life in prison under Idaho law.
The incident occurred Monday evening at approximately 7 p.m., when a Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office deputy conducted a traffic stop on a red Chevrolet Tahoe traveling on North Ammon Road near East Ririe Highway. According to the booking affidavit, the stop was initiated because the driver failed to use a turn signal. The driver was identified as Fisher.
A K-9 officer from the Idaho Falls Police Department was called to the scene to conduct a free-air sniff of the vehicle. The affidavit notes that Fisher had consented to a search of the vehicle by law enforcement prior to the canine’s involvement.
Search Uncovers Cocaine, Amphetamines, and Drug Paraphernalia
During the vehicle search, deputies located a black bag beneath the driver’s seat. Inside the bag, officers found a glass pipe with burnt residue of a leafy substance, along with a plastic tube containing a similar substance that later tested positive for marijuana.
In the front area of the vehicle, a metal tube inside the cup holder was found to contain a white powder believed to be cocaine. A Tic Tac container was also found in the vehicle and contained the same white powder. Both items were field tested and returned positive results for cocaine. In total, officers seized 48.67 grams of cocaine from the vehicle — an amount that triggers Idaho’s mandatory trafficking statutes.
The search did not stop there. Two additional baggies containing a white crystal-like substance were discovered inside the black bag. That substance tested positive for amphetamines, according to the affidavit.
Fisher was placed under arrest, and after being read his Miranda rights, he told officers he was not aware of the substances found inside the vehicle, the affidavit states. He did, however, acknowledge to investigators that he had last used methamphetamine earlier that morning, according to the document.
The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office and the Idaho Falls Police Department coordinated jointly on the arrest, reflecting the type of inter-agency cooperation that law enforcement officials across East Idaho have increasingly relied upon to address drug trafficking cases in the region.
Fisher is scheduled to appear before Magistrate Judge Wiley Dennert for a preliminary hearing at 1 p.m. on April 28. As with all criminal defendants, Fisher is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Drug trafficking cases of this nature — where controlled substances are concealed in common household items to avoid detection — present particular challenges for law enforcement, underscoring the value of K-9 units and roadside search protocols in Bonneville County’s public safety efforts.
For more on public safety and law enforcement news across East Idaho, visit Idaho News for statewide coverage. Bonneville County readers can also follow ongoing traffic and safety reporting, including a recent incident in which a school bus struck a concrete barrier on an Idaho interstate following a hit-and-run crash, as reported by Idaho State Police.
What Comes Next
Von Lane Fisher’s preliminary hearing is set for April 28 before Magistrate Judge Wiley Dennert in Bonneville County. At that hearing, prosecutors will be required to present probable cause evidence sufficient to move the case forward. If bound over for trial, Fisher would face the full weight of Idaho’s felony trafficking statutes, which carry a mandatory minimum sentence of three years and a potential life sentence upon conviction. Bonneville County News will continue to monitor court proceedings as the case develops.