Two more Idaho corrections officers sentenced in drug trafficking conspiracy
A federal judge this week ordered two more former Idaho correctional officers to serve prison time for their roles in what they thought was a drug trafficking operation inside Idaho prisons.
U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill sentenced Richard McCollough, 37, to eight years and one month in prison, and Timothy Landon, 36, to three years and five months in prison, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Both men will be placed on supervised release for three years after their release from prison.
The men participated in moving large quantities of drugs and counting large amounts of cash that they believed to be part of a drug trafficking ring. The case stems from a sting initiated by the FBI at Idaho Department of Correction’s request to weed out corruption among IDOC officers.
“The FBI was able to locate corrupt prison guards by using undercover agents who invited the guards to commit crimes outside of IDOC’s facilities,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. “The defendants believed that the undercover agents they were assisting were large‑scale drug traffickers. The guards provided security and completed other tasks for the undercover agents during staged deliveries of drug loads and drug money.”
No drugs were in the sole possession of the defendants, and no drugs or other contraband were brought into any IDOC facility as part of these operations.
McCollough pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He joined Landon and co-defendant Erik Thompson, 37, in several operations for the purported drug trafficking organization.
Landon pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to aid and abet drug trafficking. He participated in one major operation with McCollough and Thompson before splitting off to conduct other operations with co-defendant Robert Wallin, 36, who was sentenced Feb. 21 to three years and one month in prison.
Thompson is scheduled to be sentenced April 7.
This story was originally published February 28, 2019 at 7:16 AM.
