Eight people, including one Anchorage man, in four states have been indicted for conspiring to distribute heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine in Alaska and for laundering money.
In all, 50 pounds of heroin, 5 kilograms of cocaine, 38 pounds of meth and $70,000 were seized as a result of the charges, according to the U.S. district attorney’s office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Courter confirms that the drugs have a wholesale value of $2.34 million — based on distribution at the pound and kilogram level.
The actual street value, she says, could be well over $10 million, if the drugs were broken down into grams and ounces. This estimate, Courter adds, is based on trends that are being monitored by the Anchorage Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
One indictment charges 51-year-old Timothy George Alex of Anchorage with conspiring to distribute cocaine, heroin and meth. Alex is also charged with attempting to possess cocaine earlier this year. The indictment seeks a $70,000 forfeiture in money associated with alleged proceeds from Alex’s drug distribution activities, says Courter.
Another indictment charges two Texas men — Omar Alejandro Alfaro and Jose Ramon Canales — with conspiring to distribute Alaska-bound heroin and meth. The indictment also charges Genaro Gutierrez-Reyes of California with conspiring to move drug money from the U.S. to Mexico, according to a statement from the district attorney’s office.
Investigators found heroin hidden in an Anchorage storage unit and packaging materials. The suspects also sold three kilograms of heroin and two pounds of meth to an undercover agent in Alaska.
A third indictment charges four others from California and Arizona — Tomas Gutierrez Ayala, Geronimo Arellano Velarde, Cristian Giovanni Lugo and Jasmin Sanchez — with conspiring to distribute “large quantities” of meth and cocaine, the district attorney’s office says. In total, the conspiracy was responsible for the distribution or attempted distribution of about 5 kilograms of cocaine and 34 pounds of meth.
For the drug charges, all of the defendants except Alex face a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence and up to a maximum sentence of life in prison, if convicted. For his involvement in the drug distribution, Alex faces a five-year mandatory minimum sentence and a maximum of 40 years in prison, if convicted.