Feds indict Valley resident in interstate drug conspiracy case

A Valley man is among 26 people indicted in a broad-ranging conspiracy to sell illegal drugs including heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine, U.S. attorney Tim Burgess said Friday.

Jeromy W. Morrow, 31, of Wasilla, faces an overall conspiracy charge as well as three counts of distributing methamphetamine. He had been indicted but not arrested as of Friday. If convicted, Morrow faces 10 years to life in prison for conspiracy, and five years to life for each of the other counts, said Stephan Collins of the U.S. Attorney's office in Anchorage.

Nine of those indicted are from Ketchikan, one is from Anchorage and another is from Kenai. The other 14 defendants live in California, Oregon and Washington and traveled to Alaska to participate in the conspiracy, according to the indictment.

"Not every single person knew all the others but a substantial number of them knew each other," Collins said.

The drugs were sold throughout Alaska during the past three years, said the indictment, which charges each defendant with conspiracy to distribute illegal drugs, possession with intent to distribute, distribution of illegal drugs and money laundering.

During the investigation, the defendants sold or offered to sell 4.4 pounds of crystal meth known as "ice," at least 40 pounds of cocaine, multiple pounds of heroin, and thousands of units of a drug known as "ecstacy," according to federal prosecutors.

Conspirators established residences in California and Alaska as bases of operations and "stash houses," according to the indictment.

The drugs were transported to Alaska from the Lower 48 in vehicles and by people who traveled commercial airlines, often concealing the drugs in modified men's underwear, the indictment said. Prosecutors allege that cash from the transactions was moved from state to state via wire transfers, often with Western Union.

The indictments returned last month by a federal grand jury in Anchorage culminate an 18-month investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Internal Revenue Service.