The Alaska State Troopers Statewide Drug Enforcement Unit seized illicit drugs and alcohol destined for Utqiagvik and the North Slope Borough in Dec 2023. During the multi-day effort, 259 grams of methamphetamine, 48 grams of fentanyl powder, 600 counterfeit fentanyl pills, and 100 bottles of illicit alcohol were seized. The Utqiagvik street value of the seized narcotics and alcohol is over $220,000. (Photo provided by the Alaska Department of Public Safety)
Alaska law enforcement officials say statewide drug enforcement actions focused on mail service resulted in the seizure of more than four times as much alcohol in 2024 than in 2023.
Officials seized more than 8,500 liters of distilled spirits, malted beverages and wine, according to new data by the Alaska Department of Public Safety released in an annual report for the state’s drug enforcement unit.
State authorities identified and intercepted large and small alcohol imports headed for communities that have opted to prohibit alcohol, known as “local option” communities. There are 96 communities that have banned the sale, importing or possession of alcohol. Thirty-one of those communities ban the possession of alcohol entirely.
Cornelius Sims, commander of the state drug enforcement unit, pointed to the presence of additional investigators in the Southwest Alaska hub communities of Bethel and Dillingham helping to intercept illegal alcohol.
“Prior to this year, and about halfway through this year, I didn’t have investigators in those locations,” Sims said. “So having investigators there that can work parcels coming in through the post offices there, as well as contacting passengers that are flying through the hub communities, to the local option communities, I think has helped increase that number.”
The drug enforcement unit partners with the U.S. Postal Service to identify suspicious packages, investigate and collect evidence to prove probable cause, which must be filed with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska to then obtain a warrant from a judge, in order to search personal property.
“You’d be surprised at the amount of people that will ship alcohol, and attempt to ship it through to local option communities, through the United States Postal Service, as well as the airport, you know, in their luggage,” Sims said.
The state drug enforcement unit includes 29 officers statewide, stationed in Kotzebue, Nome, Bethel, Fairbanks, Anchorage, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Kenai, Kodiak, Dillingham, Juneau and Ketchikan. They focus on both illegal drugs and alcohol, “basically going after drug traffickers, interdicting drug trafficking and drug crimes in the state,” Sims said
In 2024, the unit reported that more than 1,200 pounds of illicit drugs were seized over the year, the majority in Anchorage and at Ted Stevens International Airport. The total volume of illicit drugs seized increased by 76% from 2023, according to state officials.
State drug agents seized more methamphetamine, fentanyl and heroin last year, in addition to marijuana, which is legal in Alaska but illegal to transport in federal mail.
Criminal penalties for transporting illegal contraband depend on the substance and volume, and charges can be presented in state court and later increased to federal charges.
In 2024, there were 72 alcohol offenses charged, 50 were found guilty and 20 were dismissed, according to the annual report. For those convicted, the average sentence was two years in jail and the average fine was estimated at $2,843.
The statewide drug enforcement unit works with more than 22 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies across the state that are part of a federally funded program, the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Initiative.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.