ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A Kodiak man was sentenced to over 17 years in prison for possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute and possessing multiple firearms as a felon.
According to court documents, agents executed search warrants on Mark Nason’s vehicle and residence in September 2022. Agents found a total of roughly 1.6 kilos of meth, 1.5 kilos of fentanyl and 70 grams of heroin, and five firearms in his vehicle and in his bedroom. Law enforcement also recovered over $56,800 in cash proceeds from the defendant’s distribution of controlled substances.
After his arrest, Nason reached out to associates and asked them to retrieve drugs from his storage units in Anchorage and sell the drugs to make money for his bail. Law enforcement located roughly 4.9 kilos of meth, 1.2 kilos of fentanyl, 150 grams of heroin and five firearms. In total, law enforcement seized over 6.5 kilos of meth and 2.7 kilos of fentanyl that the defendant possessed with intent to sell. The sentencing memorandum alleges, in total, the defendant possessed over 1.3 million potentially lethal doses.
At the time of this conduct, the defendant was previously convicted of multiple felonies starting at the age of 20. These felonies included theft, larceny, assault and misconduct involving firearms. The court cited the defendant’s extensive criminal history, the impact of fentanyl on small communities and a priority to protect the community from potential future crimes when delivering the sentence. U.S. District Court Judge Joshua Kindred stated, “the distinction here is, though I appreciate his attempts to show how he has changed … at some point in time, someone’s criminal history becomes so voluminous that you can’t overlook it.”
The defendant is also required to serve 10 years’ supervised release as part of his sentence.
“The defendant has been incarcerated almost continuously since he was 20 years old and is a habitual violent offender,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. “My office will continue to work together with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute perpetrators who choose to commit illegal acts and pose a great public safety threat to Alaskans.”
“The Alaska State Troopers are committed to working with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to hold anyone that distributes dangerous drugs accountable for their actions,” said Captain Cornelius Sims, Commander of the Alaska State Trooper’s Statewide Drug Enforcement Unit. “Drug overdose claims the lives of hundreds of Alaskans each year, and law enforcement will continue to do our part to disrupt the tidal wave of illegal narcotics flowing into Alaska.”
“The Coast Guard Investigative Service in concert with our federal, state, and local partners are committed to protecting the citizens of Alaska and will continue to be aggressive in our fight to keep these dangerous drugs off the streets,” said Special Agent in Charge Paul Shultz of the Coast Guard Investigative Service Northwest Field Office.
The Coast Guard Investigative Service Northwest Field Office and Alaska State Troopers, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration Seattle Field Division, investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alana Weber prosecuted the case.
