If you're a bootlegger, you'd be wise to avoid shipping your stash to a kid, lest Anchorage postal inspectors intercept the liquid gold before it gets from point A to point B. That's what happened last week, when inspectors called Alaska State Troopers to check out two packages headed to a 3-year-old in the village of Stebbins from an address in Washington state.
Inside, troopers found 27 bottles of vodka, each 750 milliliters, and 26 grams of marijuana. The black market business for liquor and pot in rural Alaska is so lucrative, troopers call the economics of the underground industry "staggering."
"The initial purchase for the bootlegger involves a minimal cash investment, a maximum cash return with little threat of being caught or criminally charged," troopers and the Drug Enforcement Administration said in a 2010 Annual Drug Report. "A bootlegger can purchase a 750-milliliter bottle of alcohol legally for $10 or less in an urban liquor store. The same bottle of alcohol in Bethel, Kotzebue or Barrow may sell for $50. In the more remote communities, alcohol can easily sell for $150 to over $300 per bottle, depending on the supply and demand."
Dollar-for-dollar, brokers purchasing alcohol or marijuana in Anchorage for sale in rural communities will get $15 and $4 in return, respectively, for every dollar invested, according to the report. Yet it would appear the bootleggers and importers aren't entirely flying under the radar of law enforcement. In recent weeks alone, troopers have seized 47 bottles of liquor and more than four pounds of marijuana headed for remote Alaska communities.
Busts ranged from stopping people trying to board planes carrying liquor and marijuana, to uncovering it in packed luggage or freight. One bust took place as Alaska State Ferry passengers disembarked in Ketchikan.
Here's a rundown of other recent investigations:
Oct. 23 – Troopers and Ketchikan police stop a man and a woman arriving from Bellingham, Wash., via the state ferry system. The man had 15 ounces of marijuana, the woman a single ounce, according to troopers, who estimated the street value of the drug to be $11,325.
Oct. 23 – Troopers in Anchorage seize 324 grams of marijuana from an airline passenger's checked luggage. The man, who was headed for Sleetmute, said he planned to sell enough of the marijuana to re cover the $1,200 purchase cost. Troopers estimate the value of the seized pot at $16,210.
Oct. 19 – Troopers in Anchorage stop an airline passenger bound for Stebbins who attempted to travel with 1,245 grams of marijuana hidden away in a carry-on bag. Troopers say other suspects have been identified in the investigation, and value the seized marijuana at $62,250.
Oct. 18 – Troopers arrest a man from Elim waiting to board a flight to Savoonga. The man had one bottle of whiskey and a package of marijuana with him.
Oct. 17 – Troopers discover a parcel sent through the mail to someone in Lower Kalskag contained six bottles of alcohol, wrapped in clothing and "burped."
Oct. 14 – Troopers in Bethel stop a woman headed for Chevak at the airport, where five 750-millileter bottles of whiskey were seized from her checked baggage.
Oct. 13 – Troopers discover "suspicious freight" bound for Savoonga via an airline carrier. The investigation showed a woman had sent 3.2 grams of marijuana to a Savoonga resident.
Oct. 10 – Troopers in Nome seize four bottles of whiskey from a woman bound from Gambell, which prohibits alcohol.
Oct. 10 – Troopers seize two bottles of vodka from a man and a woman planning to fly to Gambell.
Oct. 9 – Based on an anonymous tip, troopers in Nome seize two bottles of vodka from a woman who had attempted to hide the bottles in grocery boxes she planned to transport to Wales, a dry community.
In the cases above where individuals were identified as possessing the drugs or alcohol, troopers forwarded charges to a local district attorney's office for review.
Contact Jill Burke at jill(at)alaskadispatch.com