An Idaho warden acquired lethal injection drugs from an undisclosed supplier on a rural road

Main Idea: Idaho prison officials, led by warden Tim Richardson, obtained lethal injection drugs in secret roadside meetings as the state tried to keep its execution supply hidden.

Key Points:

• Court records say Richardson met suppliers outside Idaho’s maximum-security prison and later at a rural road intersection to pick up pentobarbital.
• The state used secrecy rules to hide who sold the drugs, while saying secrecy helps it get execution drugs in a time of shortage.
• Idaho has spent about $200,000 on three pentobarbital purchases, and the drugs expired after the failed execution of Thomas Creech.
• Drug makers say their medicines should not be used for executions, and court filings raise questions about whether Idaho’s supply came from a legitimate source.