Federal prosecutors announced Thursday that a convicted drug dealer in Fairbanks got his second strike when jurors found him guilty of conspiracy charges after a two-day trial.
Etienne Q. Devoe was found guilty of conspiring to distribute cocaine and heroin and to launder money, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
According to assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Reardon, trial evidence showed that the 42-year-old Fairbanks resident dealt drugs in and around the Interior Alaska city.
Law enforcement tracked phone calls between Devoe and Steven N. Taylor from May to June of 2013; during the calls, the men discussed the supply of and payment for drugs, prosecutors said.
"Taylor supplied cocaine and heroin to Devoe for distribution in and around the Fairbanks area. Devoe paid for those drugs by sending Taylor money through a checking account at a local bank," prosecutors said.
In June 2013, Fairbanks police arrested Devoe after responding to a shooting at a house he'd been renting with his girlfriend off Gillam Way.
Police reported finding drug-packaging materials and adulterants commonly used to make cocaine less pure before resale.
This is Devoe's second federal conviction for drug trafficking. In February 2012, Devoe was busted with 6 ounces of cocaine. He was found guilty of possession of the drug with intent to distribute and sentenced to nearly five years in prison.
Devoe's sentencing is set for June 8. He faces five to 40 years behind bars for the conspiracy charge.
Prosecutors have also charged Taylor and seven other defendants in the case.