The Sinaloa Cartel, once headed by notorious kingpin “El Chapo,” and others in Mexico are targeting Alaska communities with drug pipelines, adding to the overdose death toll, according to a new investigative report from the Louisville Courier Journal.
It’s difficult to reach much of the state, so there are fewer criminal networks competing for customers in Alaska, which means drug traffickers can triple or quadruple their price and net much larger profits, the report says.
“All the drug dealers are aware they can make more money selling drugs in Alaska,” said James Klugman, head of federal criminal prosecutions for Alaska’s U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Fentanyl and other illegal narcotics have saturated urban centers of Anchorage, as well as Juneau and Fairbanks. “From those main hubs, shipments are dispersed far and wide, stretching from tiny islands off the southern coast all the way up to the Arctic region, according to state and federal police,” reporter Beth Warren has written, having spent weeks in Alaska working on the story.
Recently, the city of Haines reported two deaths from fentynal within a short time span, illustrating the problem small towns are now having with illegal drugs coming in faster than law enforcement can handle.
Drug cartels have moved in as the state has also loosened regulations on marijuana. This month, Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom signed regulations that allow the state’s legal marijuana businesses to advertise more widely and to distribute free samples of marijuana at their retail outlets, adding to the culture of drug consumption that pervades many communities.
Sen. Dan Sullivan issued a reaction to the newspaper report, and he puts the blame squarely on President Joe Biden.
“I just read an article in the Courier Journal entitled Targeting the Last Frontier. Mexican Cartels Send Drugs into Alaska Upping Death Toll. This is, first of all, incredibly sad. Our fellow Alaskans dying because of Mexican cartels and fentanyl. And it’s infuriating. Infuriating. The FBI says the vast majority of the fentanyl coming in to Alaska is from Mexican cartels,” Sullivan said.
“We have a Mexican cartel invasion in Alaska and the rest of the country. Damn it. Mr. President, do your job. Secure the border. Damn it, Secretary Mayorkas. Secure the border. That’s your job. We are trying to make sure there’s not going to be a government shutdown. We have an amendment on the Senate floor that we’re working right now to help secure the border, to get the Biden administration of finally do their job,” Sullivan said on a video on Facebook.
“Mr. President, quit making sure the Democrats block it, Let them vote for it. This is what America needs. It’s going to help us keep our government open. But we need to secure the border. Alaskans and Americans are dying, and you’re responsible,” the senator said.
Hmmm(???) … Is now the best time for our AK Senators to support // back Trump?
Possibly(???) … Support a true Leader that puts American values – ethos at the forefront?
Maybe(???) … It’s time to quit playing narcissistic games and start working for Americans?
Or it’s time to play “duck duck goose” with the Cartel crews. Don’t mess with the hired help.
I like the way you think, Boom Boom.
Put the blame on the idiots that voted Biden in.
Yes bus more to those lib cities.
Stop blaming the cartels for doing good capitalism. Where there is a demand, a supply will be met! Doesn’t matter who is bringing if the drugs if we’re being stupid enough to buy them.
EXACTLY !
All well and good, but what are you gonna do, Swampy?
Two things are troublesome here. First, the War On Drugs. Where did government get the right to mandate to citizens what they can or cannot do to or with their own bodies when their actions don’t violate the natural rights of other citizens? “For your own good” isn’t something we’ll find in the Constitution. Second, why all the angst over people who kill themselves by ODing on drugs? It’s not like someone held them down and forcibly injected them. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. You want to risk death just to alter your consciousness? Go ahead, that’s on you. Society shouldn’t get involved and we definitely shouldn’t be paying anything because of some addict’s life choices. As long as the drug user shoulders the full cost of their choices up to and including death what right do the rest of us have to intervene? We let people eat themselves to death, drink themselves to death, smoke themselves to death and, really, this is not that much different.
It is debatable how much control the Social Compact/Contract (seen it both ways) the founders said was implicit in being a citizen of the Republic plays in here. The Framers were mostly silent on this issue.
The Constitution is silent on most issues regarding how individual states and the government writ large can set up rules for social norms. But we do, always have. The Constitution doesn’t specifically address things like rape but society disproves of it and punishable it. Same with murder.
The Founders and the Framers seem to have taken the position we’d figure it out as we go along.
The governments role in the War of Drugs comes from several areas. Some legitimate, some debatable.
Illicit drugs are not taxed. Nor are they legal. The structure involving the importation of any substance from outside our borders is a government concern. Most producers are in some way violent. Inebriated persons can be a risk to society if outside their doors. Since most abusers live outside societal norms, they impose upon the lives of others. And more.
While you may or may not agree, this is the legitimate framework for why government is involved.
If you disagree, work to change the government.
I am sorry. Senator Sullivan needed to keep his mouth closed about this allegation. The only one guilty stuffing a needle up an arm is the addict themselves. Not the cartel whom be mocking and laughing at our US Senator allegation the cartel are at fault for Alaskans demise. He and his wife are part of the Alaskan generation of leaders (boomers) and Gen x and Millennials who because of their own or our stupidity and illiteracy from bad education continued our own hell and raised another generation to join their family members in their own addiction hell.
Danny- if he really wants to do something he and his wife will get the leadership to get more parents and caregivers reading aloud to the children around them. Teaching the Bible stories to the kids and reading aloud to them is a sure way to help them discover what is their purpose and what occupation they want to do by teaching them how to think through stories.
Telling fables isn’t the answer. Good responsible parenting is.
Thank you, Senator Sullivan!
Another strongly worded letter from a “republican”…..better watch out democrats. Another few years of this and we might get really perturbed.
One more thing to repeat myself make myself more clear. if Alaska’s leadership both Democrat and Republican hadn’t been so selfish these last forty years since 1980, these generations would had cared about what was not happening to the children since 1980 including myself. I had to waste twenty years because of a lack of mentorship, early education and encouragement to find out by God’s Word the occupation I am doing was where I was supposed to be the last 20 years. Alaska has a Drug Addiction problem because of the illiteracy Alaska leaders from 1980 to the present failed at correcting only to continue it just so there less competition for Alaska leadership maintaining the little groupie’s power and wealth, while the vast majority remain ignorant and illiterate because of poor education as well as I can’t forget to remind a state ignorant of God’s Word.
It’s rich you calling others ignorant of Gods word. Pharisee.
She should have her own blog. Listen to herself blab.
MA, get a grip, Jen is speaking truth in her own way. In fact Jen is in pretty good company here, which would include Thomas Jefferson and John Adams with her championing a Bible in the Classroom. So stop it with the name calling pally. It really demeans whomever you are. I note that calling Jen a ” Fair I See” is a compliment since you regularly portray your cartoon self as a sorry ass, ” Sad you see”! Jen having hope of an afterlife unlike you oh brave cartoonish keyboard warrior, voted least likely to find Valhalla.
Just remember, God loves you and Jen who doubtlessly is a good Christian Woman who surely loves you as well.
not much different than the price of groceries and rent up here…..triple or quadruple times as much as below. Only difference is these two are legal. Seems like anytime someone tries to build affordable housing it gets shut down by those that own the market. Not much different huh….
97% of Fentanyl comes through legal border crossings, Senator Sullivan knows this. This senseless rhetoric does nothing to prevent fentanyl coming across borders
Lol. All border crossings are legal under Biden.
Pull your head out.
Frank, Is Fentanyl seeking asylum in the U.S. from the crisis caused by Climate Change? Is that a Legal Border crossing?
How about this, the Chi- Coms are providing the Fentanyl to their Franchised Mexican Retailers in order to do to America today what the Brits did to China a couple of centuries back. Your man Joe Biden won’t cross his boss, Big Daddy Xi, so the Border remains wide open.
Biden is a complete idiot. Anyone who disagrees, also an idiot.
Yes we have a culture that demands drug and alcohol consumption. Yes, the cartels are smart enough to charge what the market will bear while still undercutting the legal pot shops. Giving tax relief to the corner pot shop so they can compete with the cartels is bad policy – it just encourages even more pot consumption and the social mindset that leads to stronger drug use. This leads me to my point: Nancy Dahlstrom, what were you thinking? Free samples??? Right – most will be consumed on the premises, with the users driving away under the influence. Some of the free samples will make their way into the hands of minors. Let the free market do its work, weeding out the marginal businesses. Keep the pot tax regime in place as is and close the border.
State of Alaska just does not care about drugs coming into the state. One drug dog at the airport? What a joke. Some how people are getting paid off it seems. Also, taxing alcohol to pay for the problems it creates? Nope, can’t do that either. Tax payers have to pay for it. Alcohol tax is small percentage of the cost. APD spends half it’s time with alcohol related issues, so half of it’s budget should come from alcohol taxes. Simple.
Senator , the Anchorage International Airport is a “Cabotage Airport Transfer Site that goes uninspected ” that’s a major access point & no one inspects the cargo coming or going ! THIS HAS TO STOP but your Military Comrade MG Craig Campbell is making sure all goes on as planned. Worse than drugs that kill , human trafficking’s happening there repeatedly undetected , enslaving peoples lives. Do something about it NOW. Stand up to Alaska’s AG Taylor & make our Governor STOP this at this point of entry.
What makes you think they want it to stop? If they did, they would.
The conservative mantra, blame the cartels, blame the illegals, they want to go back to letting the Sacklers, Purdue Pharma and IHS control the opioid problem in the state. Blame the illegal user who is creating the demand. By most accounts the fentanyl that is coming into the USA is being smuggled through the ports, and hidden in legal shipments of other goods, but the GOP doesn’t want to admit the truth.
Is there a party of the free?
Our Governor should be very concerned. We have limited ports of entry into Alaska, and guaranteed the drugs are not being transported here through Canada. At least not when there are so many easier options. And drugs are not reaching the villages by dog sled. To place the responsibility for enforcement on the purposely understaffed DEA is as good as ignorance. Our state needs to step up and put a stop to this problem. We are presently the easiest state for the smugglers. And I wouldn’t be surprised if a major amount of drugs pass through our international airport where millions of pounds of freight from Asia are cleared, with little to no inspection, before going on to the lower 48. We are probably known as the Drug-Hub by smugglers. And the goal of the enemies of our country is to dumb down our population for an easy defeat. Drugs in our state are cheaper and more available than alcohol for those wishing to self medicate. And easier to transport. Our state government should know better than to trust the feds to enforce the laws. What is needed is state enforcement. This would be a great expenditure of our money, and the results would be tenfold. To let this continue is like driving car without adding oil until it blows up. Enforcement would not entirely stop the problem but it sure would drive the street price up and make it harder to come by. Right now it’s easier to come by than a snickers bar. As I write this, I am observing a drug transaction taking place across the road in a public area which is known by APD to take place many times a day. There’s no enforcement. Citizen complaints are not acted on. It is not the policy.
There is certainly enough blame to go around.
Sullivan is trying to bring some profits home for his M.I.C masters
I once asked a well know Bush pilot why he flew illegal alcohol out to villages? He could hear the bottles clanking in the boxes. He said it wasn’t his job to police it. Go figure.
Mr. Peltola ?
Sinaloa probably told ’em don’t even think about it
.
…which may be why Alaska’s legislators aren’t in special session right now passing a mini-RICO law with presumptive asset forfeiture and 20-year sentencing for anyone caught with any amount of fentanyl.
This situation is so unbelievable. A weak legal system, the lack of a death penalty and it goes on and on. God, family, country. If the first 2 aren’t working the 3rd is guaranteed to fail. We have become the wimpiest bunch of losers on the planet. Our metal is about to get tested. Hopefully some of this younger generation will rise to the occasion.
“Damn it, Senator Sullivan”! – Do your job and start an impeachment inquiry in the Senate of Beijing Biden, Mayorkas and Merrick Garland! Enough bloviating, let’s see some action!
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