Alaska officials seized more than 317 pounds of illegal drugs at the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in 2024, about a third of which was fentanyl, a synthetic narcotic responsible for an epidemic of overdose deaths, law enforcement authorities said Thursday.
The volume of dangerous drugs seized at the airport complex this year, 143,911 grams, was nearly twice the amount confiscated in 2023, continuing a trend of increasing volumes of drugs intercepted there in recent years.
The volume of fentanyl seized this year amounted to 23 million potentially fatal doses, authorities said. Other drugs seized included cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine, said Austin McDaniel, spokesperson for the Alaska State Troopers.
The seizures were conducted by 22 different federal, state and local law enforcement agencies that are partners in Alaska’s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Initiative, or HIDTA. The drugs were found in various airport operations, including cargo, parcel, mail and passenger-carry, the troopers said. The total also includes drugs intercepted at Merrill Field, the smaller airport operated by the Municipality of Anchorage, McDaniel said.
The volume of drugs seized at the Anchorage airport is generally a little over half of the statewide total, McDaniel said.
Anchorage’s international airport is one of the world’s busiest air cargo hubs. In 2023, it ranked fourth globally in the volume of cargo handled. The total cargo volume passing through Anchorage in 2023 was 3.4 million metric tons, placing the Alaska airport behind Hong Kong, Memphis and Shanghai, according to the trade organization Airports Council International.
The High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program was created by Congress in 1988. The statewide Alaska initiative started in 2018 and is funded by the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy, the troopers said.
Through that initiative, Alaska State Troopers and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service have stepped up identification and interception of drugs going through the mail. The troopers, officers with the Anchorage Airport Police and Fire Department and other agencies have increased their work at airport passenger terminals. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska has also boosted its efforts to process search warrants targeting parcels sent through the mail, the troopers said.
“In 2024, our office assigned multiple attorneys to handle search warrants for U.S. Postal Service parcels suspected of containing illicit substances, quadrupling the number of search warrants processed compared to last year. Because of this prioritization and our strong partnership with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Alaska State Troopers, parcel drug seizures have increased, preventing large quantities of dangerous drugs from reaching our communities,” S. Lane Tucker, U.S. attorney for the District of Alaska, said in a statement released by the troopers.
“Alaska’s local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies are committed to doing our part to address the high rate of drug trafficking and overdose incidents occurring across our great state,” Alaska State Trooper Col. Maurice Hughes said in the statement.
Alaska has been particularly hard-hit by the national fentanyl epidemic, bucking the national trend of decreasing overdose deaths.
Alaska last year had a record number of drug overdose deaths, the majority of which were connected to fentanyl. Fatal overdoses jumped by 44.5% from 2022 to 2023, with 357 recorded – with more than half involving fentanyl, according to the state Department of Health. It was, by far, the biggest increase of all states.
In contrast, overdose deaths nationwide declined by 3% from 2022 to 2023, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Fatal overdose totals continued to increase in Alaska through the first half of 2024, according to the latest data available, which totals deaths for the 12 months that ended in July.
Alaska had 405 reported overdose deaths for that 12-month period, a 40.63% increase over the total for the previous 12-month period, according to the CDC’s preliminary figures. Alaska’s rate of increase was the highest in the nation for the period, and Alaska was one of only three states in which reported overdose deaths increased during that 12-month period, according to the CDC. Nevada and Utah were the only other states with reported increases in overdose deaths, according to the data.
Nationally, the number of reported overdose deaths declined by 19.3% from July 2023 to July 2024, according to the CDC’s preliminary data.
Of Alaska’s reported overdose deaths from July 2023 to June 2024, 338 involved opioids, according to the Alaska Department of Health.
The high death toll in Alaska has spurred action beyond law enforcement. The Alaska Department of Health has partnered with other entities to boost prevention education, and a new state law requires schools to be supplied with overdose-reversal kits.
WHEREAS, all Alaskans have the right to safety and justice, and the rates of missing and murdered Indigenous persons (MMIP) represent a crisis that is actively being addressed; and
WHEREAS, Alaska Native women are overrepresented in the domestic violence victim population by 250 percent, and although Alaska Natives comprise 19 percent of Alaska’s population, they represent 47 percent of the State’s reported rape victims; and
WHEREAS, the call for a greater response to the MMIP led to increased communication between tribal communities and State agencies in an effort to better understand the scope of the issue; and
WHEREAS, the State of Alaska now has four MMIP investigators, two tribal liaisons, and dedicates significant resources to address these cases and work with the family members of missing and murdered persons; and
WHEREAS, in 2024 I signed legislation that further moves Alaska’s response forward with mandatory entry of missing persons into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, and requires that the State employ MMIP investigators, and requires that all current and future Alaska law enforcement officers attend cultural diversity training with an emphasis on MMIP; and
WHEREAS, the State of Alaska is committed to continuing its efforts to work with Alaska Tribes in combatting this crisis and offering support to communities and families.
NOW THEREFORE, I, Mike Dunleavy, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF ALASKA, do hereby proclaim May 5, 2026, as:
Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Awareness Day
in Alaska and encourage all Alaskans to recognize the elevated rates of missing and murdered Indigenous persons and support law enforcement, victim advocacy, and the efforts of Alaska Native Tribes to work with State, local, and other entities working together toward solutions.
Dated: May 5, 2026
The letter, from Director of White House Intergovernmental Affairs Alex Meyer, underscores federal recognition of Alaska’s efforts to modernize its tax framework for liquefied natural gas (LNG) development and highlights the importance of these reforms to advancing American energy security and economic growth.
In the letter Meyer said, “Given the scale and complexity of AKLNG, a stable and competitive policy environment is critical to the project’s success. Clear and predictable tax policy will improve feasibility, attract private investment, and help secure final commitments. This approach promotes job creation, expanded economic activity, and durable public revenue.”
“Alaska has long been a cornerstone of America’s energy future, and this support from the White House affirms the importance of getting our LNG tax policy right,” said Governor Dunleavy. “HB 381 and SB 280 provide a clear, predictable, and competitive structure that will help unlock Alaska’s vast natural gas resources, create jobs, and deliver long-term benefits for our state and the nation.”
The volumetric LNG tax bills establish a straightforward tax system based on the volume of gas produced, offering greater certainty to investors and developers and ensuring Alaskans benefit from a secure, low-cost supply of energy.
Governor Dunleavy emphasized that alignment between state and federal leadership is critical to advancing major energy infrastructure projects like Alaska LNG.
“We appreciate the Administration’s recognition of the role Alaska can play in strengthening domestic energy production and supporting our allies abroad,” Dunleavy added.
The Governor continues to work with members of the Alaska Legislature, industry stakeholders, and federal partners to move these bills forward and position Alaska as a global leader in LNG development.
An Alaska woman is accusing the Alaska Department of Public Safety, two Alaska State Troopers and the A&E Television Network of compromising her privacy and safety as a confidential informant after they filmed an arrest without her consent.
The woman, identified in the filings as Jane Doe, says that she received death threats after she was a confidential informant whose information led to an arrest that was filmed and later aired on the Alaska State Troopers reality show.
Alaska Beacon is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alaska Beacon maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Claire Stremple for questions: info@alaskabeacon.com.
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