Boise Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison on Federal Gun and Drug Charges

BOISE – Danny Ray VanZandt, 40, of Boise, was sentenced today to 300 months in prison followed by ten years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced.  A federal grand jury indicted VanZandt on May 15, 2018.

According to court records, law enforcement used a confidential informant to purchase methamphetamine from VanZandt on two separate occasions.  Upon VanZandt’s arrest, officers located seventy grams of methamphetamine and a loaded handgun in his truck.  VanZandt has a lengthy criminal history that dates back twenty years and includes two prior controlled substance offenses and numerous parole violations.

This case was investigated by the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crimes Task Force.  The Task Force is comprised of federal, state and local agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Boise Police Department; Ada County Sheriff’s Office; Caldwell Police Department; Nampa Police Department; Meridian Police Department; Canyon County Sheriff’s Office; and Idaho Department of Probation and Parole.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.