Drug dealer nabbed in Coeur d'Alene sent to prison

A Spokane man received a 15-year prison sentence with parole eligibility after five years after being convicted of delivery of cocaine, conspiracy to deliver cocaine and eluding a peace officer.

Eric Ramon Buchanan, 51, was convicted following jury trials in April and May.

The drug charges stem from an incident Feb. 24, 2023, in which undercover officers purchased cocaine from a female in a downtown Coeur d’Alene bar, according to a press release from the Kootenai County Prosecutor's Office. 

During the investigation, it was learned that Buchanan was the female’s source for the cocaine and that Buchanan had supplied the female with the cocaine shortly before the sale to the undercover officers. 

On the evening of April 14, 2023, officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop of a vehicle Buchanan was driving but Buchanan refused to pull over and led officers in a pursuit while speeding, passing other vehicles and driving in the opposite lane of travel toward oncoming traffic, the release said. 

Officers lost sight of Buchanan’s vehicle after it turned onto a dead-end street; however, officers quickly located and arrested Buchanan as he was walking down the road away from where officers would later find his abandoned vehicle. 

Using a drug detection K-9, officers obtained a positive alert on Buchanan’s vehicle — leading them to believe the vehicle recently contained illegal drugs — but no drugs were found in the vehicle, the release said.

Delivery of cocaine and conspiracy to deliver cocaine are both felonies, punishable by up to life in prison. Eluding is a felony, punishable by up to five years in prison. Buchanan was sentenced Oct. 28 by District Judge Lamont Berecz. 

Having previously been convicted of at least two prior felony offenses, Buchanan was also convicted of being a persistent violator. This enhancement mandates that a prison sentence be no less than five years but allows a court to extend a sentence by up to life. the release said.

Buchanan’s criminal history includes convictions for selling cocaine, multiple DUIs, possession of controlled substances and several probation violations.