Crime & Courts

Anchorage man will serve over 4 years in prison for opium distribution

A man who helped distribute opium and had pounds of methamphetamine stored at his East Anchorage home was sentenced to prison this week.

Kao Ching Saelee, 51, was sentenced Monday to four years and two months in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Alaska.

Saelee was one of four men initially charged with distributing nearly 3 pounds of opium in 2016. One of those men is still a fugitive, prosecutors say.

Saelee also let his home be used to store "a large amount" of meth, U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder wrote in a court document. Officers found nearly 4 pounds of meth at his residence when it was searched June 14, 2016, prosecutors say.

Saelee "has a history of opium addiction, and that appears to be the root cause for his involvement in this case," Schroder wrote.

In October, Saelee pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute opium, and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Prosecutors say that in the spring and summer of 2016, an informant bought opium from Saelee, Lo Louang Saetern and Danny R.Q. Wong on three separate occasions.

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Wong was sentenced in July 2017 to 15 months in prison on a drug conspiracy charge, according to the U.S. attorney. Saetern is a fugitive. A third co-defendant had his charges dismissed.

On April 12, 2016, Wong sold $7,000 worth of the drug — 141 grams — to an informant. Saetern drove to a trailer on Klevin Street in East Anchorage where Saelee lived, and then met up with the informant at another location.

Then, on May 25, 2016, the informant again bought 138.7 grams of opium from Wong. Saetern again drove to Saelee's home, meeting up with the informant afterward, prosecutors say.

On June 14, 2016, the informant bought just over 2 pounds of opium for $49,000. This time, Saelee left his home and took it to Saetern, who went to another location where the informant bought it.

A search on Saelee's home that same day uncovered 3.8 pounds of meth and "additional controlled substances" inside his trailer on Klevin Street, the plea agreement says.

This is Saelee's second conviction related to opium. In 1996, Saelee was sentenced to five years probation in the Northern District of California after he rented a post office box "knowing that packages of opium would be sent to this address from Thailand," Schroder wrote.

Laurel Andrews

Laurel Andrews was a reporter for the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Dispatch News and Alaska Dispatch. She left the ADN in October 2018.

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