On Sept. 16, Alaska State Troopers Statewide Drug Enforcement Unit and Coast Guard Investigative Service in Kodiak concluded part of a several-month investigation into the trafficking of controlled substances in Kodiak, during which 11,457 blue “M30” fentanyl pills were seized, along with 3.15 pounds of crystal methamphetamine, 89 grams of tar heroin, five handguns and $58,722 in cash.
Mark Daniel Nason, 55, of Kodiak, a 12-time convicted felon of violent offenses, was stopped by officers in the Safeway parking lot in Kodiak while he was getting into his vehicle. A search of his vehicle showed Nason had a loaded handgun within reach, along with a large quantity of controlled substances. He was locked up in the Kodiak Jail for multiple charges of Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance and Misconduct Involving Weapons.
Nason has a violent history. He lived in the Montana Creek area in the Mat-Su Borough in 2001, where he was convicted in Palmer Superior Court for shooting his then-pregnant 19-year-old girlfriend in the buttocks. He was 33 at the time and was sentenced to 18 years in prison. In 1994, he had been charged with attempted murder after shooting at an Alaska Regional Hospital security guard who would not allow him through a locked door. Nason has other convictions on his record at the Alaska Court System, stemming back to the 1980s.
Adam Ross, 42, of Kodiak, was stopped at a Sawmill Circle address and arrested while attempting to flee. Ross was remanded to the Kodiak jail for multiple counts of Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance.
Ross is a convicted felon for the sale of controlled substances. Ross had been arrested in 2014 on the Seward Highway at Mile 99 for possession of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and the investigation found the heroin was prepackaged for distribution. During that arrest, he tried to hide the drugs under the seat of the Trooper’s vehicle.
A common user amount is one fentanyl pill, 0.1 grams of heroin and 0.1 grams of methamphetamine. There are 10 user doses per gram of heroin and methamphetamine. One fentanyl pill has the potential to cause a fatal overdose, depending on the user tolerance or how much is already in someone’s system. Fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin and up to 100 times stronger than morphine. Two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal.
Over 11,000 doses is a sizable haul for law enforcement. In 2020, there were just 1,447.82 grams and 150 dosage units of fentanyl seized in Alaska by the State Drug Enforcement Unit.
The estimated profit from the seized drugs, if sold in Kodiak, may have been approximately $656,000.
