Two major drug arrests in Libby and Troy land dealers in jail

Two men were arrested last week with felony counts of Intent to Distribute Dangerous Drugs, according to court documents.

One of the men, Brandon Eugene Diller, was found acquiring chemicals necessary to manufacture a pound of pure methamphetamine, with a street value of $25,000.

In an unrelated incident, William Steven Tebby was arrested with three bags of marijuana that he allegedly intended to deliver to a friend.

On April 26, a police officer noticed the strong scent of marijuana emanating from Tebby when he ran into him at the Town Pump. The officer executed a body search that uncovered three zip lock bags filled with marijuana. Tebby stated that he was intending to deliver the drugs to another person, in exchange for which he was given a brown vial of marijuana.

He was charged with one count of Criminal Possession of Dangerous Drugs, five counts of Criminal Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and one felony count of Criminal Possession with Intent to Distribute.

For the felony count, Tebby faces a fine of up to $50,000 and/or up to 20 years in prison. The other counts each represent a possible $500 fine and up to six months of jail time.

But the more serious case involved Diller, 30, who was arrested by Detective Shane Hight in the Troy Post Office on April 23. He was stopped with 500 grams of ephedrine and an unknown amount of red phosphorous.

Those two chemicals are the foundation of the “Red-P method,” which is considered one the more popular methods of manufacturing meth from a home laboratory.

The investigation began when a detective in Phoenix, Ariz. contacted the Sheriff’s Department with evidence that an address in Troy was attempting to order ephedrine through the Internet. The address belonged to Diller’s grandmother, whose computer he used to order the chemicals without telling her.

The U.S. Postal Service informed the detectives when the package would be delivered to Troy and picked up by Diller. In the post office, Detective Shane Hight stood where he could hear Diller but not be seen by him. Once the package had been signed for, Hight immediately arrested him.

In the interview that followed, Diller admitted that he bought the chemical, which is commonly found in legal stimulants and appetite depressants, on the Internet. But based on state law, the arrangement and transportation of the two chemicals is enough to file charges.

Diller is being charged with Criminal Production of Dangerous Drugs, which yields a fine of up to $50,000 and/or imprisonment for life. He is also being charged with Operation of a Clandestine Laboratory, facing a fine of up to $25,000 and possibly 40 years in jail.

Diller is currently on adult probation after he was charged with Intent to Manufacture (also methamphetamine) in Idaho in 2007.