Law enforcement officials in Alaska have announced that a suspicious package intercepted by state troopers contained illegal drugs with a street value of approximately half a million dollars. A 30-year-old Kodiak man has been taken into custody in connection with the seized drugs. The man faces a raft of charges including felony counts of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine possession. The investigation into the man’s alleged activities was conducted by the Alaska State Troopers Statewide Drug Enforcement Unit, which is made up of officers from the Kodiak Police Department and investigators from the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service as well as Alaska State Troopers.
Known target
The operation that led to the drug seizure was launched on Nov. 21 when SDEU personnel identified a suspicious package that had been mailed to an individual suspected of distributing controlled substances in Kodiak. SDEU personnel then obtained a search warrant that gave them the legal authority to open the package and inspect its contents. When the package was opened, SDEU personnel allegedly discovered 56 grams of cocaine, 912 grams of methamphetamine and more than 5,500 fentanyl pills. The man the package had been addressed to was transported to the Kodiak Jail for processing. Initial reports do not mention if he is being represented by a criminal defense attorney.
Second major drug haul
The SDEU has made even larger drug seizures in the past. In September 2020, methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl with a street value in excess of $650,000 was discovered following the arrest of two Kodiak men on weapons and drug charges. According to an SDEU representative, the fentanyl seized would have been enough to provide every Kodiak resident almost two pills.
Circumstantial evidence
Initial reports do not make clear whether or not the man taken into custody was ever in possession of the seized drugs. If he was not, the authorities may find it difficult to prove beyond reasonable doubt that he knew about the package’s contents and planned to distribute the drugs. This is why law enforcement usually allows suspicious packages to be delivered in cases like this one.