POCATELLO — A 52-year-old local man faces a mandatory minimum three-year prison sentence after police say they found more than 6 grams of fentanyl hidden in a candy box during a traffic stop.

Dustin Reed Morrison, of Pocatello, was arrested on a felony fentanyl trafficking charge last week following a traffic stop near the intersection of Pocatello Creek Road and Olympus Drive shortly before midnight Nov. 11, according to police and court records the Idaho State Journal recently obtained.

Pocatello police observed Morrison’s black 2010 Toyota Prius parked in front of a home on Pearl Avenue around 11:40 p.m. Monday. Officers had responded to that residence the previous week for a suspected fentanyl overdose, and the officer recognized the location as a known drug house, police said.

When Morrison drove away, the officer initiated a traffic stop after confirming through dispatch that Morrison’s driver’s license was invalid, police said. Morrison initially pulled to the curb but continued rolling at approximately 3 mph for 10 to 15 seconds before coming to a complete stop.

During the stop, the officer deployed his K-9 partner, Lobo, to conduct a free-air sniff around the vehicle, the report says. Without receiving a search command, the dog dug his paws into the asphalt, pulled hard toward the vehicle and laid down on all four paws near the rear driver’s side door, positively indicating the presence of illegal narcotics, according to the report.

Inside the vehicle’s center console, officers found multiple orange Reese’s Pieces candy boxes. One box contained 10 small plastic bags filled with a white powdery substance that appeared to be fentanyl, the report states.

Officers also found an electronic scale and a piece of aluminum foil with burned residue on the front passenger seat — items commonly associated with drug use, police said.

When officers searched Morrison following his arrest, they found another small plastic bag containing the same white powdery substance in his right pants coin pocket, according to the report.

In total, officers seized approximately 6.72 grams of fentanyl, according to court records.

During questioning, Morrison told officers that a friend named Joshua had used his vehicle the previous day and must have left the drugs. He claimed Joshua had given him a box of Reese’s Pieces candy earlier that night and denied knowing about the other candy box or the paraphernalia found in the vehicle, the report states.

When confronted about the baggie in his pocket, Morrison said he must have picked it up from the floor to see what it was and planned to ask Joshua about it later, authorities said.

Another officer who assisted with the investigation told Morrison his explanation was neither believable nor reasonable. The officer said that based on her experience with the Pocatello Police Department’s Narcotics Unit and High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, it was highly unlikely anyone would leave that quantity of fentanyl in someone else’s vehicle, as each bag had a street value between $300 and $600, according to the report.

Morrison was charged, arrested and transported to the Bannock County Jail in Pocatello, where he was booked on the trafficking charge.

He appeared before 6th District Magistrate Judge David A. Hooste for an arraignment hearing Nov. 12, where his bond was set at $100,000.

Morrison is scheduled to appear in court again for a preliminary hearing Nov. 26. Prosecutors will attempt to prove there is enough evidence against him to elevate the case from the magistrate to district court level for trial.

If convicted of trafficking in fentanyl, Morrison faces a mandatory minimum sentence of three years in prison and a $10,000 fine and a maximum penalty of up to life in prison and a $100,000 fine.

Prosecutors have also filed notice they will seek an enhanced penalty for a second or subsequent offense under the Uniform Controlled Substances Act, which could double any sentence imposed against him.