POCATELLO — A 41-year-old local woman was arrested this week after police say a multi-week drug trafficking investigation ended with officers pulling her over on a Southeast Idaho highway and finding more than 400 grams of methamphetamine in her vehicle.

Shannon Lee Midthun has been charged with felony trafficking in meth and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia following an investigation conducted by the BADGES HIDTA Task Force and the Idaho State Police, according to police and court records the Idaho State Journal recently obtained.

The investigation began to unfold on May 6 when the BADGES HIDTA Task Force conducted a controlled purchase of meth from Midthun in Pocatello, according to court records.

On May 12, task force officers observed Midthun driving a red 2019 Cadillac XT4 at an Enterprise rental location in the area. Officers watched as a second individual left the location in a 2026 gray Toyota Corolla rental, police said.

Officers then used electronic tracking to monitor the movements of the Toyota Corolla. On May 15, investigators observed the vehicle travel to San Diego, California, and on May 16, tracked it heading back north toward Idaho, according to court records.

On May 17, the task force located both vehicles traveling northbound on US 91 near Downey, Idaho, and positively identified Midthun behind the wheel of the red Cadillac. Officers initiated a traffic stop at approximately 11:11 a.m. at milepost 38 in Downey and took Midthun into custody, police said.

A Bannock County Sheriff's deputy and his K-9 partner then conducted an open-air sniff of the vehicle. The dog alerted to the car, and a subsequent search turned up two baggies of meth weighing 163.9 grams and 238.3 grams, respectively, for a combined total of more than 400 grams, according to court records.

Officers also recovered a scale, glass pipes with residue, tooter pipes, foil with residue, a blue spoon with residue, rolling papers, burnt marijuana joints and a prescription bottle bearing another person's name, police said.

The meth was transported to the Idaho State Police District Office, where investigators used a TruNarc device and obtained a presumptive positive result for both baggies, according to court records.

Midthun was transported to the Bannock County Jail in Pocatello where she was booked on the trafficking charge.

Midthun appeared before 6th District Magistrate Judge David A. Hooste for an arraignment hearing on Monday where her bond was set at $25,000.

She is scheduled to appear in court again on May 28 for a preliminary hearing. Prosecutors will attempt to present sufficient evidence to elevate the case from magistrate to district court for trial.

Under Idaho law, trafficking in meth involving 400 or more grams carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years fixed and a $25,000 fine, with penalties extending up to life in prison and a fine of up to $100,000 if convicted.