Man charged after allegedly trying to traffic meth inside cookie packaging

SHELLEY – A 62-year-old man was charged after he was allegedly found trying to traffic methamphetamine inside a box of Chips Ahoy! cookies.

Mont Dee Jeffs was charged with felony drug trafficking methamphetamine or amphetamine, and misdemeanor use or possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia.

On Feb. 29, an officer with the Shelley Police Department was patrolling near State Street when he saw a yellow Toyota FJ Cruiser driving west at 41 mph where the speed limit was 25 mph.

According to court documents, the officer initiated a traffic stop in the Frontier Credit Union parking lot and identified the driver as Jeffs.

When the officer returned to his police car to issue a speeding ticket, dispatch told him he had an unconfirmed felony warrant out of Bonneville County for a probation violation.

Police reports say the probation violation stemmed from an original charge of possession of a controlled substance.

The officer went back to Jeffs’ car, handcuffed him and told him there was an active warrant for his arrest.

Other officers arrived, and a K9 performed a free-air sniff of the car and alerted to the odor of narcotics.

During a search of the car, officers allegedly found a box containing miscellaneous tools, electronics, an unopened can of cheese dip, and an open package of Chips Ahoy! brand cookies.

When the officer opened the package, he found a “clear plastic Ziplock-style baggie containing a large crystal shard and smaller crystal shards and powder residue,” according to police reports.

Officers allegedly found another Ziplock baggie containing smaller clear plastic Ziplock baggies, along with small manilla envelopes.

After testing, the shards were confirmed presumptive positive for methamphetamine. During the search, another office found a broken piece of glass that “appear(ed) to be part of a glass pipe with white powder reside inside it,” according to court documents.

Police say the suspected methamphetamine weighed 34.41 grams, including packaging.

Jeffs was then booked into the Bingham County Jail on a bond of $100,000. He is expected to appear for a preliminary hearing on March 14.

If convicted, he could face up to life in prison.

Though Jeffs has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.