A judge sentenced a Las Vegas man to 13 years in prison for of conspiring to traffic drugs to Anchorage and launder money made from selling the drugs, stemming from 2014 charges.
U.S. District Judge Sharon L. Gleason handed down the sentence for 38-year-old Billy Cooks on Feb. 12, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska.
Cooks, who also goes by the nickname “Red Dollaz,” previously pleaded guilty to conspiring with his girlfriend and co-defendent E’lala Frank, to distribute methamphetamine and possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of the drug. He also pleaded guilty to conspiring with Frank to launder the proceeds the two would make by selling the meth.
In Jan. 2014, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Anchorage found a suspicious package sent from Las Vegas to Anchorage. After drug-sniffing dogs indicated the parcel contained controlled substances, inspectors got a search warrant to determine the contents of the package — 443.5 grams of meth.
It was then that inspectors, in collaboration with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), switched the meth with fake drugs and sent the package to its original recipient.
The following day while under surveillance, the parcel was delivered to a man identified in the release as Dawud Johnson. Johnson left his home shortly after receiving the package and was seen throwing it out his car window by tailing investigators. He was arrested afterward.
Phone records revealed the link between Johnson and Cooks. In the days leading up to the delivery of the drugs, “Red Dollaz” and Johnson had arranged payment for the drugs through a Wells Fargo bank account in Frank’s name.
In an earlier trial, Johnson received a 15-year prison sentence for his involvement in the crime.
The release states Judge Gleason reflected on the damage meth causes to individuals and the ripple effect the drug has on the community. She held Cooks responsible for getting Franks involved and said during sentencing that Cooks was not motivated by addiction, but by a much more common ailment — greed.
“Meth can be highly addictive and highly damaging to the human brain,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin R. Feldis. “Nobody should be allowed to profit by doing harm to others and to the community, and their sentence reflects that fact.”
