Alaska Department Of Public Safety,State Troopers Public Information Office

Dispatch Text:

In January 2024, the Alaska State Troopers, Ketchikan Police Department, and Southeast Alaska Cities Against Drugs (SEACAD) task force officers began an investigation into drug trafficking occurring in the Ketchikan area. On January 12, 2024, investigators interdicted 9,838 counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, ½ pound of methamphetamine, 1.5 ounces of fentanyl power, and $14,411 in US currency. Investigators arrested 38-year-old Ketchikan resident Andrew Hanson and remanded him to Ketchikan Correctional Center on charges of Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance in the 2nd Degree, one count of Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance in the 3rd Degree, one count of Misconduct Involving Weapons in the 2nd Degree, and one count of Misconduct Involving Weapons in the 3rd Degree.

Further investigation led to additional seizures of illicit narcotics related to this investigation on February 6, 2024; during the second seizure, law enforcement located approximately 14,938 counterfeit pills containing fentanyl and approximately 1.8 pounds of methamphetamine. The total street value of drugs seized during this investigation is approximately $1,682,000 in Ketchikan, Alaska - and includes over 38,000 potentially fatal doses of fentanyl.

SEACAD, Southeast Alaska Cities Against Drugs, is a regional task force comprised of municipal police departments from Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka, Haines, Skagway, Petersburg, Hoonah, Wrangell, Craig and Yakutat, the Alaska State Troopers, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Postal Inspection Service, and Coast Guard Investigative Service. Together, they work to investigate drug importation and distribution in the Southeast Alaska region.

If you have information about drug trafficking occurring in Alaska, contact the Alaska State Troopers at (907) 451-5100 or your local police department. If you would like to remain anonymous, you can submit tips through the AKTips smartphone app or online at dps.alaska.gov/tips.

Ketchikan Police Department Cases: KPD24-219 & KPD24-674