A 63-year-old Craig man was sentenced in federal court on Monday by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Timothy M. Burgess to 10 years in federal prison for his part in a massive drug conspiracy on Prince of Wales Island that took place between the years 2014 to 2017, the U.S. Department of Justice reported on Tuesday.

U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroeder announced on Tuesday that Bradley Payton Grasser received 10 years of prison time plus 10 years of supervised release and was ordered to forfeit $89,703, 11 firearms and additional items as a part of his sentencing for the meth trafficking conspiracy.

Court documents state that Grasser “coordinated and directed the distribution of methamphetamine on Prince of Wales Island for the conspiracy, as well as, collection of drug proceeds from co-conspirators.” Prosecutors pointed out that Grasser made arrangments for methamphetamine to be mailed to at least five co-conspirators in Ketchikan and other communities on Prince of Wales Island and then receive the proceeds from those drug transactions to import more drugs from Washington state.

The amount of methamphetamine seized during the investigation totaled 1,133.7 grams. “According to the 2010 U.S. Census Borough, the population of Craig is 1,201, which means the amount of drugs seized from Grasser would be enough for nearly one gram of methamphetamine, or approximately 10 dosage units for every single person in the community. The citizens of Craig, including the young people, are safer because of the efforts of the law enforcement agencies that investigated this case,” U.S. Attorney Schroeder said in Tuesday’s announcement.

Schroeder reported that Grasser was in possession of $83,703, 11 firearms, artwork, vessels, tenders, motorcycles, utility trailers, containers, and gun safes, which are believed to all have been obtained with his illegal drug proceeds.

“Postal Inspectors worked closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our partners in law enforcement in Southeast Alaska and the surrounding area on this investigation,” said Seattle Division Inspector in Charge Anthony Galetti of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. We take drug trafficking crimes very seriously and will continue to vigorously protect the U.S. Mail, communities, and customers against all forms of criminal attack and misuse.”

Grasser’s conviction was the result of investigations carried out by AST, the Inspection Service of the U.S. Postal Service, DEA, and the police departments of Craig and Klawock.

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