Drug task force arrests alleged drug dealer

CLARKSTON — A drug task force has arrested a suspected drug dealer and seized a “large number of pills” believed to be fentanyl.

Justin W. Hoffman, 38, of Clarkston, was arrested Thursday, March 21, and booked into the Asotin County Jail on a charge of possession of a controlled substance (fentanyl) with intent to deliver.

According to Whitman County Sheriff Brett Myers, who also serves as commander of the Quad Cities Drug Task Force, Hoffman was arrested following a traffic stop.

“Detectives had been actively monitoring the subject’s activities, which lead to obtaining a search warrant for the individual and his vehicle,” the sheriff wrote in press release. “Detectives observed the individual driving earlier in the day and believed he was in possession of fentanyl at that time.”

Coordinating with Lewiston and Clarkston police, the Washington State Patrol and the Asotin County Sheriff’s Office, the task force stopped Hoffman as he was driving on U.S. Highway 12 west of Clarkston.

Armed with a warrant, detectives searched Hoffman’s vehicle and located approximately 3,000 fentanyl pills, a report on the incident said. They also located a loaded, stolen firearm.

Hoffman is a convicted felon and prohibited from having a firearm, records show.