Rising Tide of Transnational Crime: Mexican Cartels Fuel Drug Surge in Alaska

Transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), predominantly linked to Mexican cartels like Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation, are intensifying their grip on Alaska’s illicit drug trade, importing fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine from Mexico and the lower 48 states. Recent operations reveal a web of active networks according to official databases from the FBI, DHS, and Alaska Department of Public Safety (DPS). For instance, Operation Take Back America led to charges against 39 defendants in 2025 for drug trafficking tied to transnational groups, while a 2024 bust indicted 54 individuals in a large-scale ring. Smaller operations, such as a 10-defendant group in 2023 and a seven-person network trafficking from California in 2025, underscore fragmented but persistent activity.

“The FBI, HSI, and our partners in Alaska are using a whole of government approach to protect Alaskans from transnational criminal organizations and the scourge of violent crime and deadly drugs they bring to our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office.

Over the past five years (2020-2024), TCO operations have trended upward, mirrored by escalating drug seizures and enforcement actions. Alaska DPS reported a 76% spike in total drug seizures from 324,766 grams in 2023 to 572,536 grams in 2024, with methamphetamine jumping 89% to 148,316 grams and fentanyl rising 13% to 93,853 grams. Arrests reached 175 unique individuals in 2024, fueling 497 court cases. FBI indictments have grown, from groups of 10-53 defendants in 2023-2024 to the 39 in 2025’s operation, aligning with national synthetic opioid trends.

TCOs are lured to Alaska by lucrative profits: drug prices soar several times higher than in the contiguous U.S. due to remoteness and transport hurdles, amplified by high demand in urban centers like Anchorage (78% of seizures) and rural areas. Alcohol bans in 96 “local option” communities spawn smuggling parallels, with seizures surging 400% to 8,504 liters in 2024.

These groups expand by leveraging mail parcels, air travel, and encrypted apps for coordination, recruiting local couriers via social media fakes, and adapting routes through cross-border networks and money laundering. The 2025 launch of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) in Alaska aims to dismantle them through multi-agency efforts.

For more information on the Homeland Security Task Force, visit FBI Anchorage.