An Anchorage couple was sentenced to federal prison for conspiring to distribute and distributing methamphetamine, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
Charles Denver Phillips, also known as “Pup,” 43, was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison and five years of supervised release, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska. Phillips’ wife, 46-year-old Lois Latrilla Phillips, was given a lesser sentence of eight years in prison with four years of supervision, the statement said.
In their plea, the couple admitted to keeping an inventory of methamphetamine — most of which was stored in a shipping container at dog-kenneling business — in August 2018 that they meant to sell, the statement said.
Law enforcement observed the couple as they sold 401 grams of meth to a customer in early August 2018, federal prosecutors said. Three days later, when an FBI task force searched the Phillipses’ apartment, they found 120 grams of meth, nearly $25,000 in cash, digital scales and packaging material, according to the statement. The shipping container held an additional 10 pounds of meth, federal prosecutors said.
A criminal complaint filed last year described Charles Phillips as a “well-known member” of the Hells Angels motorcycle club. According to federal prosecutors, Hells Angels memorabilia was also found in the couple’s apartment.
Charles Phillips had already been convicted of two previous felony drug trafficking charges and was on supervised release at the time of the current trafficking charge, said the statement. U.S. District Judge Sharon L. Gleason determined Lois Phillips deserved the shorter sentence because she had no previous criminal background and had been successful during substance abuse and rehabilitation efforts while awaiting trial.