Authorities Continue Kodiak Meth Investigation after Clandestine Lab Discovery

Kodiak-based troopers reported on Tuesday concerning a drug bust and meth lab discovery investigation that has been moving forward since mid-March.

According to the report, on March 16th, at 1:05 pm, “a security specialist with a common carrier delivery service contacted the Statewide Drug Enforcement Unit (SDEU) in Kodiak to report a suspicious package sent from California to Kodiak.”

The resulting investigation would find that the package contained .4 pounds of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $82,000. The next day, troopers report that “SDEU Kodiak, Kodiak Police Department (KPD) Officers and detectives, Alaska State Troopers (AST), and special agents from the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Coast Guard Investigative Services (CGIS) made contact with Steve Stersic, 56 of Kodiak, at Kodiak Repair Services.”

During the contact, investigators would discover a clandestine meth lab on the premises, as a result, the building was “vacated and secured,” and Stersic was arrested and remanded to the Kodiak Jail on charges of Misconduct Involving Controlled Substances II.

THe following day, March 18th, because Kodiak lacks certified clandestine lab personnel in Kodiak, the USCG transported an AST/SDEU/Alaska Bureau of Investigation team in a C-130 from Anchorage. That team would confirm that the building in fact contained a meth  lab.

On March 22nd, Stersic was released on $3,000 bail and a Court-Approved Third Party Custodian. Meanwhile, DEA and Environmental Compliance Consultants traveled to Kodiak “to oversee the seizure of hazardous materials.”

On Thursday, March 23rd, a Kodiak Grand Jury indicted Stersic on four counts of MICS II, and a count of Misconduct Involving Weapons II.

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He is due to be arraigned on the morning of April 4th. [xyz-ihs snippet=”Adsense-responsive”]