Serving Franklin County, WA
Serving Franklin County, WA
COEUR d' ALENE – A man from Lind has been sentenced to over 26 years (322 months) in federal prison after being convicted by a federal jury on six federal drug and firearms charges.
Christopher Bounds, 38, was sentenced in U.S. District Court April 28, after a federal jury found him guilty of the following, last August:
Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin;
Possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine;
Possession with intent to deliver heroin;
Unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon;
Unlawful possession of a firearm by a drug addict; and
Possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye ordered Bounds to also serve 10 years of supervised relief after his prison sentence, pay a $2,400 fine, and ordered the forfeiture of 16 firearms, according to the United States Attorney's Office District of Idaho.
Evidence during Bounds' four-day trial showed Quad Cities Drug Task Force detectives, working with the Nez Perce County Sheriff's Office, stopped Bounds' vehicle as he was leaving Lewiston, Idaho, in August of 2018. Officers discovered two pounds of pure methamphetamine, one pound of heroin, cash and 16 loaded firearms in Bounds' vehicle. Testimony at the jury trial estimated the drugs were worth over $32,000, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. When Bounds' cell phone was searched and seized, it allegedly revealed Bounds to be a wholesale distributor of methamphetamine and heroin in Eastern Washington and Idaho.
The jury heard evidence during the trial that Bounds used an assault rifle for protection when dealing with cartel-level drug traffickers shortly before his arrest. Bounds was prohibited from possessing firearms, due to multiple previous felony convictions.
Law enforcement agencies contributing to the prosecution of the case include the Nez Perce County Prosecutor's Office, Lewiston Police Department, Nez Perce County Sheriff's Office, Clarkston Police Department, and Whitman County Sheriff's Office. The agencies are all part of the Quad Cities Drug Task Force, who were conducting surveillance on Bounds at the time of his arrest.
Also contributing to the case were the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Katie Teachout is the editor of the Ritzville Adams County Journal. She has more than a decade experience covering Eastern Washington, including the Upper Kittitas Valley, the Methow Valley and Okanogan and Ferry counties.
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