Police arrested a 30-year-old man Wednesday who faces two felony charges that he received – and intended to deliver – about a half-pound of methamphetamine delivered to a post office box in Haines.
The Southeast Alaska Cities Against Drugs Task Force announced the arrest. The task force includes several municipal police departments, Alaska State Troopers, and federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Postal Service and the Coast Guard.
In most cases, the Chilkat Valley News does not name alleged perpetrators of crimes until the facts of the case are ruled on by a court.
According to charging documents, task force investigators identified suspicious packages moving through the mail, were awarded federal warrants to search them and found about a half-pound of what they tested and presumed to be methamphetamine – meaning there’s the possible presence of the drug, but not definitive confirmation – split between the two boxes.
According to charging documents, police then added a fake substance to the box and laced it with “clue spray,” which glows under a black light. Police say they put the packages in a post office box in Haines on Nov. 5 and waited.
Later that day, they allege that the man and a relative got off a seaplane flight from Juneau, drove to the post office, the man retrieved the packages and then the two went to their Second Avenue apartment.
Police then raided the apartment where, according to charging documents, they found Ziploc baggies, digital scales and one of the packages open and spread around the home. Police also found the clue spray on the 30-year-old man’s hands and pants and about $24,000 in cash they allege belonged to him.
The man is currently in jail on a combination of appearance and performance bonds that would require $26,000 in cash to secure his release.
Both of his charges are class B felony misconduct with a controlled substance charge, which could be punishable with up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000 per charge, though that can vary widely based on factors like someone’s previous criminal history.