A federal grand jury in Alaska returned two separate indictments last month charging seven people with drug trafficking offenses involving shipments from California and Nevada to Alaska.
“These cases are a reminder that our office takes seriously the threat of drug traffickers targeting Alaska, and we will be relentless in working with our law enforcement partners in stopping the flow of dangerous drugs to keep Alaskans safe,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska.
According to court documents, from at least March 2024 through February, three people from Alaska and one person from California allegedly conspired to traffic methamphetamine to Alaska and attempted to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute it.
During the same time period, three of the people charged in Alaska also allegedly conspired to launder money related to the drug trafficking activity.
Three of the people from Alaska each face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison for drug trafficking. The person from California faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The case is being investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Juneau Domicile, the Juneau Police Department, and Alaska State Troopers as part of the Southeast Alaska Cities Against Drugs Task Force, with assistance from the USPIS San Bernardino Domicile.
In a separate case, 37-year-old Helmut Mey of Las Vegas and 37-year-old Jonhatan Lau-Osuna of Las Vegas are accused of conspiring to distribute and possess fentanyl with intent to distribute it in Alaska from at least September 2024 through March.
Another person from Alaska is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess controlled substances, attempted possession with intent to distribute, and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. This person, at the time of the alleged conduct, had prior felony convictions for misconduct involving controlled substances and weapons in the Alaska Superior Court, Kenai.
Mey is charged with conspiracy and attempted possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
The charges against Lau-Osuna include conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
If convicted, each of the three defendants could face between 10 years and life in prison.
The investigation was led by the USPIS Anchorage Domicile, the FBI Anchorage Field Office, and Alaska State Troopers through the Alaska High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Initiative’s Southcentral Area-Wide Narcotics team, with help from the Anchorage Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mac Caille Petursson is prosecuting both cases, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the Central District of California, District of Nevada, and District of Idaho.
The charges are part of the Alaska Parcel Interdiction Initiative, a statewide effort involving the U.S. Attorney’s Office, USPIS, Alaska State Troopers, and local law enforcement agencies to stop the flow of narcotics into Alaska through the mail.
These cases are also part of Operation Take Back America, a national initiative from the Department of Justice aimed at dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protecting communities from violent crime and drug trafficking.
Sentencing, if any, will be determined by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory considerations.
