Juneau business owner Gema Thomas, owner of Peer Amid Beads, Southeast Artworks and a gown and tuxedo rental in downtown Juneau, was sentenced on May 31st, according to U.S. Attorney Karen Loeffler.

Thomas was charged with drug conspiracy. The charges stem from a joint investigation carried out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Postal Service and the Juneau Police Department. The agencies were investigating the importation of heroin into Juneau at the time.

Thomas was sentenced to 42 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Burgessfor her role in the drug trafficking conspiracy. Her co-conspirator was sentenced in January to 170 months..

It was in July of 2012 that Gema Thomas and Darrel W. Dawson, conspired to transport methamphetamine to Juneau from the lower 48. It was during that time that Dawson paid Thomas for a previous shipment of meth and Thomas made arrangments to have another shipment sent via USPS Express to a Mendenhall PO box from her Washington state source.

Thomas took the package home with the intentions of leaving it in her unlocked garage for Dawson to pick up. What Thomas and Dawson did not know was that the package had been intercepted by the post office and an electronic device was planted in the package that would alert authorities when the box was opened.

Prior to the arrival of Dawson, the package was opened and investigators swooped in. Most of the drugs were removed from the package and Dawson was called to retrieve the drugs. When Dawson arrived he was approached by officers and attempted to flee to no avail.

Thomas was charged and arrested in October, 2012, and pled guilty to the charges in December.