COEUR d’ALENE — More than two years after the first talks about creating a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney position in North Idaho to help combat drug trafficking, candidates are applying for the job.

Two SAUSA initiatives already exist in Boise and Pocatello. These special prosecutors are funded through partnerships between the state of Idaho and local municipalities and tackle regional issues. For example, the special prosecutor in the Treasure Valley focuses on gangs, while the SAUSA in Pocatello focuses on drug trafficking.

Under North Idaho’s SAUSA initiatives, drug trafficking offenses would be tried in federal court, shifting the burden of time and cost from the local level to the federal level and giving local authorities a pipeline to access federal resources. 

Combating fentanyl trafficking will be a top priority in North Idaho.

Former U.S. Attorney Joshua Hurwit said the SAUSA initiative will enable North Idaho to use federal resources to help “knock out the sources of this poison” that is flowing into the region. 

“It saves lives,” Hurwit said. “The more we can prosecute federally and work up the chain of these supply networks, the less fentanyl we have in our communities and the less destruction and death we will see.” 

Kootenai County is in the Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, with Interstate 90 and Highway 95 serving as major corridors for drug trafficking from Washington, Montana and Canada, according to a recent report from the city of Coeur d’Alene. 

The state of Idaho, through Gov. Brad Little's Office, is contributing $75,000 and the Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area will contribute $50,000 toward the annual $140,000 needed to fund the position in North Idaho. The remaining $15,000 will be contributed by local jurisdictions that expressed interest in the program, including the cities of Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls. 

The office of the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney will be based in Shoshone County, with the county handling the administrative work. 

Earlier this year, Shoshone County Prosecuting Attorney Ben Allen told commissioners the SAUSA will prosecute about 30 cases per year. 

Bill Buley contributed to this report.