Oh, what a shame. Truly.

Police shut down major drug ring
Posted: Tuesday, Jul 31, 2007 - 10:51:39 am PDT
By GWEN ALBERS
Staff writer

Group responsible for 90 percent of acid sold in West
SANDPOINT -- The arrest of two leaders from a major drug trafficking ring is expected to limit the availability of acid, ecstasy, mushrooms and marijuana in Bonner County.

Sandpoint police went undercover and gained trust of the leaders of what's known as the Llama Tribe. The group is believed to have supplied up to 90 percent of the acid in the western United States.

"I would venture to say the youth in this area and adults will not be able to find a readily available source for some time," Sandpoint Police Det. Kit Sanger said Monday. "It's a very complex drug manufacturing operation. It's not a meth lab where you can get a recipe from the Internet. This will definitely hurt."

Sandpoint Police got involved with the investigation one year ago after a young adult busted here for acid indicated it was purchased from what's known as the Llama Tribe in Spokane, Sanger said.

The city's narcotics detectives worked with a federal agency to infiltrate the organization in an undercover capacity and obtained evidence that led to the arrests, according to a news release.

Palmer Hanson, 26, and Allen Lint, 26, both of Yakima, Wash., were arrested Thursday in Spokane by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, according to a news release.

The Llama Tribe allegedly sold drugs at barter fairs throughout the Northwest, police said. Dozens of local drug users ranging from 16 to 24 years old have reported to Sandpoint narcotics detectives that they obtained acid, ecstasy, mushrooms and marijuana from local barter fairs and brought the drugs to Sandpoint for re-sale or personal use.

See DRUGS, Page 3

"A barter fair, from my perspective, is purely a gathering place where people buy and sell," Sanger said. "The person who sponsors the fair puts out information to like-minded individuals, asking for vendors to come in to sell jewelry, clothing and food. It's (also) a free market for drugs."

Money isn't always exchanged for drugs, and drugs are openly sold and consumed, he said.

Normally held on private property, these barter fairs are difficult to bust, Sanger said.

"It's difficult to infiltrate on private property," he said. "There are several people involved and you need to get a search warrant for that property. We have to identify who we are going after."

Traditionally, the property owner isn't dealing drugs, but aware of the activity, he said.

"It's a counterculture with a lot of drumming and dancing," Sanger said. "They're usually in the country and will be referred to as family reunions."

For Sandpoint Det. Sgt. George Gow, who is retiring as one of the most experienced drug investigators in Idaho, dismantling the organization that's been Sandpoint's drug supplier is a satisfying end to his career.