Pot traffickers get jail time

Judge Scott Wayman sentenced two marijuana traffickers to matching prison sentences at Wednesday’s law day in Wallace.

The two co-defendants Seng Xiong and Chen Yang, both of Minn., were arrested last year by Idaho State Police (ISP) with the help of Ace, an ISP drug detection K9.

The duo were caught transporting 83 pounds of marijuana, estimated to be worth $338,000, through the Silver Valley from California to Minnesota on Nov. 10.

Xiong and Yang were both given five year prison sentences, one year fixed and four years indeterminate.

Chief Deputy Prosecutor Blaine Horrocks explains that the push for a prison sentence from the state was due to the large quantity of marijuana involved.

“Hopefully,” Horrocks explains, “drug traffickers will take notice of the states position in these cases and it will deter future drug trafficking in our community.”

Although neither of the traffickers have any significant prior convictions, pre-trial research revealed Xiong is possibly associated with an Asian-Crip gang based in Cali. called “G-Loc.”

In the past six months, ISP has made two similar arrests in the I-90 corridor involving large amounts of Marijuana and suspects from California/Minnesota.