COEUR D’ALENE – A 61-year-old Nez Perce County man is one of two separate defendants who pled guilty to federal methamphetamine cases in North Idaho today. According to the office of U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit, Gary Glasser of Lewiston and 20-year-old Guillermo Duarte of Yakima, each pled guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Debora K. Grasham.
According to court records, in May 2023, Glasser met another individual who provided him with a satchel containing methamphetamine in Nez Perce County. Glasser was subsequently arrested, and a search of his home uncovered indications of intent to distribute, including a digital scale, several glassine baggies, and multiple ledgers.
In a separate case, in October 2023, Duarte was in the front passenger seat of a vehicle that was searched by law enforcement in Kootenai County following a positive K-9 alert. Hidden inside of a vacuum cleaner box in the trunk of the vehicle, law enforcement found approximately 6,500 grams of methamphetamine.
Glasser and Duarte are scheduled to be sentenced on September 10th at the federal courthouse in Coeur d’Alene. Each faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and up to a $1 million fine. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Hurwit commended the investigation by the Lewiston Police Department, the Quad Cities Drug Task Force, the Idaho State Police, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for their work in the Glasser case. He applauded the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office, the Idaho State Police, the FBI, and the Drug Enforcement Administration for their efforts in the Duarte case. U.S. Attorney Hurwit also thanked the Nez Perce County Prosecutor’s Office and the Kootenai County Prosecutor’s Office for assisting these investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Johnson is prosecuting these cases.
