The Alaska Department of Public Safety and local, state, and federal law enforcement partners seized over 212 pounds of illegal narcotics as part of a focused law enforcement effort that occurred across the state this summer. Law enforcement seized approximately 2.45 million potentially fatal doses of illicit fentanyl as part of the operation. Additionally, over 22,000 grams of heroin, over 22,000 grams of methamphetamine, over 13,000 grams of cocaine, and several other illicit narcotics have been seized since May.
The May 1, 2022 – September 30, 2022 period shows that Alaska’s law enforcement doubled seizures from 2021 and represents one of the state’s highest periods for drug seizures. They were made across the state by drug investigators working in both urban and rural Alaska working for local, state, or federal law enforcement agencies. As part of the focused enforcement effort, the Alaska Department of Public Safety temporarily reassigned multiple Alaska Wildlife Troopers to assist with drug interdiction efforts over the summer and authorized additional overtime for the existing drug investigators.
“My administration is focused on the doing all that we can to respond to the large amounts of illicit fentanyl and other drugs pouring into our state from Mexico via the lower 48,” said Governor Mike Dunleavy. “Leading the charge on this effort are the great teams at the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Health which have made significant progress this year. Together they are making a difference across our state by both removing illegal drugs from circulation, providing treatment to those suffering from addiction, providing life-saving medication such as naloxone, and educating Alaskans about the dangers of illegal drug use.”
Drug seizures reported today were made by the law enforcement agencies that make up Alaska’s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) initiative. Their seizures are reported to the Alaska Department of Public Safety. Alaska’s HIDTA initiative is made up of the Alaska State Troopers, Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Alaska Department of Law, Anchorage Police Department, Juneau Police Department, Kodiak Police Department, Petersburg Police Department, Bethel Police Department, Fairbanks Police Department, Ketchikan Police Department, North Slope Borough Police Department, Sand Point Police Department, US Marshals Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, Homeland Security Investigations, US Coast Guard Investigative Service, US Postal Service Inspection Service, and the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska.
