Man arrested on drug trafficking charges

BONNERS FERRY — On Friday, Oct. 26, local resident Stephen Humberg, 32, was arrested on multiple charges, including drug trafficking.

On Oct. 25, Bonners Ferry Police Officer Michael Martinez was granted a search warrant to search a room at a local motel, previously occupied by Stephen Humberg, under the observance of Bonners Ferry Police Chief Zimmerman.

According to the police report, during the investigation of the room, Humberg arrived after being released from jail after posting bond for an earlier charge. He asked to retrieve his belongings from the room. Martinez informed him that he could not enter the secured room and that he would be contacted after a search warrant was issued.

At 2 p.m., Martinez executed the search warrant for the room.

“I opened the lockbox that was initially taken from Humberg,” Martinez wrote in the police report. “In the lockbox I observed several drug paraphernalia items including tinfoil with burnt residue, a spoon with black residue on the top and burn marks on the bottom, used hypodermic needles, used cotton balls, a circular digital scale with residue, and new Q-tips in a container.”

According to the report, Martinez then observed the other contents of the lockbox, noticing two bags of pills.

“One of the baggies was completely full of Xanax pills and the other baggie was half empty,” stated Martinez in the report. “I found another plastic baggie containing several folded up plastic baggies. I pulled the baggies out, which were seven in total, and observed small rounded black tar like substances in each individual baggie.”

Martinez recognized the black tar like substance to be consistent in appearance and smell to black tar heroin.

Martinez then found an empty can with a larger chunk of heroin within it and three plastic vials of what appeared to be watered down heroin. The substances were sent to Idaho State Police Laboratories for testing.

Upon further inspection of the room, they found more hypodermic needles including one under the bed mattress. Boundary County Sheriff’s Dispatch later entered a temporary warrant for Humberg’s arrest on the charge of trafficking heroin.

On Oct. 26, Bonners Ferry Police Reserve Officer Kyle Watts and Boundary County Sheriff’s Deputies Brandon Cobler and Mike Valenzuela arrived at a house on Cedar Street where they were told Humberg was staying.

According to the report, they knocked on the door and after some conversation were invited into the residence to find Humberg in a room toward the rear of the house, at which time he was placed under arrest. According to the report, after reading Humberg his Miranda Rights, Martinez asked Humberg if he was willing to talk, to which Humberg said yes.

“I told Humberg I conducted a search of the lockbox and found approximately 10 grams of heroin in it. I then asked Humberg to explain this to me,” stated Martinez in the police report.

Humberg allegedly replied, ”I use drugs every once in awhile.”

According to the police report, Martinez then asked Humberg if he typically uses that much, to which Humberg replied, “Um, sure. I do like to get high.”

The remainder of the conversation was geared toward finding out if the heroin was for personal use or for sale. According to the report, Martinez was able to gather that Humberg carves objects and sells them for profit, and that he uses heroin often.

“I again told Humberg he was under arrest for trafficking heroin,” stated Martinez in the report. “Humberg asked if it was because he was driving with the heroin which constituted trafficking. I told Humberg it was because he had two or more grams of heroin in his possession in the state of Idaho which constituted trafficking of heroin.”

He was then taken to the Boundary County Jail and will face the charges of trafficking heroin, misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance (Xanax), and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

Humberg is scheduled to appear in court for his preliminary hearing at 1:30 p.m. Nov. 8, and his bond has been set at $22,000.