Five suspected drug traffickers plead “not guilty”

Five suspected drug traffickers who allegedly smuggled ecstasy into Mineral County pleaded not guilty to criminal possession of dangerous drugs with intent to distribute in their initial court appearance July 2. The maximum penalty for the offense is up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $50,000.

The five men, Adrian Darrel Sullivan, Cortlin Marcus Jackson, Justin Shad Hall, Ian Thomas Cahalan and Joshua Frederick Taylor, range in age from 19 to 22. Montana Highway Patrol Captain Kenton Hickethier pulled over their Ford Explorer on Interstate 90 near mile marker 22 after he allegedly observed them traveling 63 mph in a 45-mph construction zone. The group told Hickethier that they were heading home to Missoula after a vacation in Coeur d’Alene and gave him permission to search their vehicle.

Hickethier and Rich Perez, a U.S. Border Patrol Agent who handles a drug detection dog, searched the vehicle and allegedly found 49 tablets of ecstasy, more than what would normally be used recreationally, county attorney Shaun Donovan wrote in an affidavit. Hickethier also reportedly found a glass pipe with residue from either methamphetamine or tetrahydrocannabinol, a chemical found in canabis, in Cahalan’s luggage. He allegedly found a similar pipe and a stolen 9 mm pistol in Sullivan’s luggage.

After they were arrested and read a Miranda warning, the five men were placed in patrol vehicles. Jackson, Taylor, Cahalan and Sullivan allegedly made incriminating statements that were videotaped by the vehicles’ cameras while officers weren’t in the vicinity.

The group discussed the ecstasy and the possible consequences of the charges. According to the affidavit, at one point Sullivan said, “Shorty [Taylor] brought all that stuff.”

On camera, Jackson allegedly claimed one of the pipes as his but denied that he had brought the ecstasy tablets. Taylor replied that some of the tablets belonged to Jackson as well as Cahalan and Sullivan. He also said that they should have made a plan to hide the drugs or throw them out while they were being stopped.

Hall, who denied knowing about the ecstasy, was never mentioned in the conversations and Judge Douglas G. Harkin said in court that there was not enough evidence in the affidavit to charge him.

Cahalan was placed in jail under a bond of $1,000 which was paid by his mother shortly after his arrest. The other four were placed in jail with $10,000 bonds. Jackson’s bond was also posted following his arrest.

The judge allowed Taylor to enter a home arrest program in Coeur d’Alene, as long as the program in Coeur d’Alene was comparable with one in Missoula and will cooperate with Montana authorities.

Sullivan’s lawyer asked the judge to lower his bail, but Harkin refused because of the stolen handgun he allegedly possessed. Sullivan was later bailed out for the full $10,000.

The five were originally arrested May 31 as part of the crash prevention and criminal interdiction project, a collaboration of the Montana Highway Patrol, the Interdiction and Customs Agents High Intensity and Drug Taking Agency, the Northwest Drug Task Force and the Mineral County Sheriff’s Office.

The partnership worked to crack down on traffic violations and other crimes the weekend of May 29 through May 31.

The 20 officers working 10-hour, rotating shifts made 307 traffic stops and issued 38 citations for speeding, five citations for driving without a seat belt, 13 citations for driving without a driver’s license, one citation for registration, five citations for insurance, one citation for driving under the influence, 199 warnings for moving violations, 76 mechanical and equipment warnings, five warnings for seat belt violations, 28 warnings for driver’s license violations, 69 warnings for registration violations and 40 warnings issued for insurance violations. There were also 20 public assists where officers helped motorists in trouble on the road.

“It’s just a further illustration that there’s anything and everything out on that highway,” Donovan said of the July 2 court appearances. “That’s why we need more patrols out there.”