Illegal drugs are becoming more accessible to residents of Southeast – courtesy of the U.S. Postal Service.
As communities throughout the region report significant volumes of illegal drugs transported via the USPS, Senator Lisa Murkowski asked the Postmaster General to address the matter, possibly by devoting additional US Postal Inspection Service resources to the area or increasing collaboration with local law enforcement agencies to reduce the flow of drugs into Southeast.
Wrangell Police Department Lieutenant Merlin Ehlers said his office has seen an uptick in the amount of narcotics flowing into the borough.
“From the information we receive, there is quite a bit of drugs running through the post office,” Ehlers said. “The majority of what we see is marijuana, but we also see a certain amount of methamphetamine, cocaine and pills.”
Although the litany of drugs touched on by Ehlers are serious, one extremely dangerous drug has not been seen as much in Wrangell.
“Thankfully, there is not a lot of heroin use here yet,” Ehlers added. “We know that Petersburg has that problem, but we have not run across it here just yet.”
Petersburg Police Chief Jim Agner concurred with Ehlers’ assessment – and described what he considers an epidemic of heroin use in his city.
“I would estimate that Petersburg consumes about $750,000 a year in heroin, and that’s in a town of 3000,” Agner said. “Those numbers are staggering and it’s an epidemic here with a significant percentage of users being between the ages of 16-30. We’re doing everything we can to fight the problem by working with the USPS, DEA, FBI, TSA and the Alaska Marine Highway System.”
In her letter to the Postmaster General, Sen. Murkowski wrote:
“I am told the U.S. Postal Service has become a main conduit for drug trafficking in Juneau, Petersburg, and other Southeast Alaska communities. For example, Alaska State Representative Muñoz reports that in the past two years, only one, 2.5 day USPS inspection was permitted, and that inspection revealed 10 packages of narcotics valued at over $300,000.”
Murkowski continues, “Action must be taken to ensure that the USPS is not an avenue for drug trafficking…In this difficult budget environment, another solution I urge you to consider is whether cross-deputization agreements could be entered with local law enforcement that might allow them to conduct inspections, if they have the resources to do so. I understand such an arrangement is working well between USPS and the Alaska State Troopers in Western Alaska.”
Senator Murkowski has been working with the US Postal Inspection Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration since last August to identify ways to interrupt illegal drugs trafficking into Southeast Alaska through the mail, the Alaska Marine Highway System and other transportation avenues.
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