PETERSBURG – Two Petersburg residents are facing controlled substance charges after they allegedly coordinated the shipment of methamphetamine from Mexico to Mitkof Island.
Carlos Sandoval, 53, and Helen Olson, 49, appeared before Petersburg Magistrate Judge Desiree Burrell for a felony first hearing on Wednesday afternoon. They were each charged with one count of second degree Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance.
According to court filings, police were told Sandoval had traveled to Mexico to obtain methamphetamine and would fly back to Petersburg from San Diego on March 15.
Police met Sandoval at the airport in Juneau and searched him and his luggage but no drugs were found.
Sandoval had allegedly shipped 52 grams of meth separately, addressing the package to Olson. A search warrant was obtained, the package was intercepted, and, after a canine alerted, officers seized the meth.
Drug enforcement officers then placed into the package a representative sample weighing 4.87 grams of methamphetamine, a GPS tracker and an alarm device designed to signal once opened.
Officers brought the package to Petersburg for delivery. On March 20, a person recognized as Olson picked up the package, with Sandoval waiting in a vehicle outside, court filings read.
The two drove around Petersburg for about an hour before returning to 31 Towne Trailer Court near the corner of 4th Street and Kiseno Street. When the package alarm device signaled, officers forced entry into the residence. Olson told police she intended to sell the drugs to finance a new start for them.
In a spare room, officers found a hidden scale and five baggies with substance that tested positive for methamphetamine.
The Petersburg Police Department released a statement on Wednesday that said a total of 500 dose units of meth were found, worth an estimated $50,000.
Petersburg police were assisted in the investigation by the Juneau Police Department and federal agencies, according to the release.
Olson was released Wednesday on her own recognizance with conditions that, among others, she not leave Petersburg and maintain contact with her pretrial officer and attorney. Bail was set at $500 for Sandoval with the same conditions if he is released. There will be a preliminary hearing on Friday, April 6 at 10 a.m.
On Wednesday, Petersburg Chief of Police Kelly Swihart said this case is not related to search warrants issued last week that led to the seizure of items consistent with the manufacture and distribution of methamphetamine.
"Not related that we are aware of," Swihart said in an email.
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