(Anchorage, AK) – The Alaska Department of Public Safety’s Statewide Drug Enforcement Unit (SDEU) has released its annual drug report highlighting trends in illegal narcotics trafficking in Alaska. The annual report presented to the Alaska Legislature details reported street prices for illicit drugs, the impressive amount of illicit drugs and alcohol seized by the SDEU, average sentences given to offenders of Alaska’s controlled substances criminal statutes, as well as an overview of the illegal narcotics and illicit alcohol problem in Alaska.   

Highlights from 2020 Annual Drug Report:

• In 2020, there were 1,447.82 grams and 150 dosage units of fentanyl seized by SDEU. Fentanyl is an emerging drug in Alaska and poses a danger to society and law enforcement. Only two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal.
• In 2020, SDEU made 165 unique drug and alcohol arrests across Alaska.
• From 2019 to 2020, there was a 320 percent change increase in marijuana seizures and a 174 percent change increase in cocaine seizures.
• International drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) continue to gravitate towards Alaska’s lucrative drug market.

“The SDEU is committed to disrupting the ever-present trafficking of illicit drugs in Alaska, not only to save lives and hold criminals accountable but to improve the quality of life for the law-abiding citizens that call this amazing state home, ” said Lieutenant Sims, Deputy Commander of the Statewide Drug Enforcement Unit. “The SDEU and its regional task forces will continue to work with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to rid Alaska’s streets of illegal drugs and alcohol and arrest those responsible.”

The 2020 Annual Drug Report is available online at: https://dps.alaska.gov/getmedia/2b95494e-3125-44f1-962b-8233a2959d62/2020-Annual-Drug-Report.pdf

The Statewide Drug Enforcement Unit is made up of seven regional task forces: Anchorage Airport Interdiction Team (AAIT), Fairbanks Area-wide Narcotics Team (FANT), Kodiak Area-wide Narcotics Team (KANT), Mat-Su Drug Narcotics Enforcement Team, Kenai Peninsula Drug Team (KPDT), Southeast Alaska Cities Against Drugs (SEACAD), and Western Alaska Alcohol and Narcotics Team (WAANT). Each regional task force is comprised of Alaska State Troopers, local police officers, and federal law enforcements agents. Additionally, Alaska has three High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) teams the Southcentral Areawide Narcotics Team, Fairbanks Areawide Narcotics Team, and Southeast Alaska Cities Against Drugs Team.

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