Mexican cartels expand drug trade to Alaska, increasing deaths

Oct 10, 2023

Lauren Taylor Anchor

By Lauren Taylor (Anchor), William Jackson (Producer), Zachary Hill (Editor)

Law enforcement authorities recently arrested a drug kingpin as a part of a transnational investigation into organized crime, as Mexican drug cartels expand into Alaska. Miguel Guevara claimed ties to the Sinaloa Cartel. What sets his case apart is not the charges, but the location of his arrest.

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Mexican cartels targeting Alaska contribute to overdose deaths in the Last Frontier, as reported by the Louisville Courier-Journal. CDC data revealed that nearly 76% of Alaska’s 260 fatal overdoses in 2021 involved opiods or synthetic variants, including fentanyl. That data also showed that deaths from overdose in Alaska rose by 75% from 2020 to 2021.

“People target Alaska because of the economic impact,” FBI Special Agent Brandon Waddle said. “It’s truly supply and demand. It is economics in its purest sense, and by that, I mean where there’s less supply, you can make more money. So here in Alaska, where there’s less supply, drug organizations or criminal organizations can charge more money for their product.”

New data from the CDC suggests threat of fentanyl is worsening in the U.S. as overdose deaths more than triple in five years. — Getty Images

“What keeps me up at night is the fact that fentanyl is killing our small communities,” Waddle added.

Alaska faces distinct challenges in combating drug addiction, deaths and related crime because of its remote location and dispersed population.

Assistant U.S. Attorney James Klugman, who has prosecuted similar cases in Alaska, said, “Cargo and passenger routes that are operating under very little scrutiny in rural Alaska, that’s absolutely a channel of how drugs are being moved and distributed. And then, as you get to more rural parts of the state, you have many, many small villages that aren’t accessible by road, that you can only reach by air or boat.”

It’s an issue the Biden administration is focusing on as part of a years-long push to stem the rampant importation of fentanyl, which kills tens of thousands of Americans each year.

Attorney General Merrick Garland testified in front of the House Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill Wednesday, Sept. 20. — Attorney General Merrick Garland (AP Images)

Meanwhile, naloxone kits, also known as Narcan, are available at many pharmacies and through most states’ health departments. Last year, Alaska received over $2.7 million in funding to prevent overdose deaths.

Tags: Alaska, Drug cartels, Fentanyl, Mexico

A ‘DRUG KING-PIN’ ARRESTED – PART OF A TRANSNATIONAL INVESTIGATION INTO ORGANIZED CRIME.

MIGUEL GUEVARA CLAIMED TO HAVE TIES TO THE SINALOA CARTEL.

BUT WHAT MAKES HIS CASE UNIQUE – ISN’T THE CHARGES – BUT THE LOCATION WHERE HE WAS CAUGHT.

MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS ARE DIRECTING THEIR EFFORTS TOWARD ALASKA – AND AS THE THE LOUISVILLE COURIER-JOURNAL REPORTS, IT’S CONTRIBUTING TO A RISE IN OVERDOSE DEATHS IN THE LAST FRONTIER.

C-D-C DATA SHOWING A 75-PERCENT SPIKE FROM 20-20 TO 2021 IN THE STATE.

BRANDON WADDLE, SPECIAL AGENT, FBI

“People target Alaska because of the economic impact. It’s truly supply and demand. It is economics in its purest sense. And by that I mean where there’s less supply, you can make more money. And so here in Alaska, where there’s less supply, drug organizations or criminal organizations can charge more money for their product.”

ACCORDING TO A 20-21 REPORT BY THE GOVERNOR’S ADVISORY COUNCIL ON OPIOID REMEDIATION – NEARLY 76 PERCENT OF THE 2-HUNDRED-53 FATAL OVERDOSES IN ALASKA INVOLVED SYNTHETIC NARCOTICS, INCLUDING FENTANYL.

ALASKA FACES DISTINCTIVE CHALLENGES IN COMBATING DRUG ADDICTION AND RELATED CRIME BECAUSE OF ITS REMOTE LOCATION AND DISPERSED POPULATION.

JAMES KLUGMAN, HEAD OF FEDERAL CRIMINAL PROSECUTIONS, ALASKA U.S. ATTORNEY’S OFFICE

“cargo and passenger routes that are operating under very little scrutiny in rural Alaska. That’s absolutely a channel of how drugs are being moved and distributed. And then as you get to more rural parts of the state, you have many, many small villages that aren’t accessible by road that you can only reach by air or boat.”

IT’S AN ISSUE THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION IS FOCUSING ON. PART OF A YEARSLONG PUSH TO STEM THE RAMPANT IMPORTATION OF FENTANYL, WHICH KILLS TENS OF THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS EACH YEAR.

BRANDON WADDLE, SPECIAL AGENT, FBI

“What keeps me up at night is the fact that fentanyl is killing our small communities.”

MEANTIME – NALOXONE KITS, ALSO KNOWN AS NARCAN, ARE AVAILABLE AT MANY PHARMACIES AND THROUGH MOST STATES’ HEALTH DEPARTMENTS. LAST YEAR–THE STATE WAS AWARDED MORE THAN 2-POINT-7 MILLION DOLLARS IN FUNDING TO PREVENT OVERDOSE DEATHS.