A federal jury in June convicted Juan Manuel Mendiola, 28, of conspiring to distribute at least five kilograms of cocaine, 500 grams of methamphetamine, 100 grams of heroin and 50 grams of crack cocaine.
The jury also convicted Mendiola of illegally possessing six firearms, including two stolen, fully automatic MAC-10 machine guns.
Lead prosecutor Frank Russo said witnesses during the two-week trial testified that Mendiola ordered drugs from Van Nuys and Lancaster, Calif., and used FedEx and UPS to send the packages to homes in Anchorage controlled by him and his accomplices. The ring distributed the drugs in cities including Anchorage, Kodiak and Valdez, prosecutors said.
Police arrested Mendiola in 2008 after a three-year investigation that spanned multiple arrests, time spent as a fugitive and a police standoff at a home near Dowling Road and the Old Seward Highway. While he was in jail, Mendiola put "a hit" on an accomplice who he believed was cooperating with police, prosecutors said.
So far, 10 members of Mendiola's drug ring have been convicted, prosecutors said.
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