On May 31, 2024, at 5:07 PM, the Fairbanks Rural Unit received a tip about a boat traveling from Old Crow, Canada, to Fort Yukon, Alaska. The tip said that a drug dealer responsible for an overdose in Old Crow was on board. The boat had four Canadian Drug Dealers: aged 41, 50, 27, and 24.
A Village Public Safety Officer (VPSO) in Fort Yukon was alerted and intercepted the boat while Fairbanks Rural Troopers applied for a search warrant. During the initial stop, drug paraphernalia and three dead black ducks were found. It is believed that one passenger threw suspected drugs into the river before the VPSO arrived. The boat was seized and secured in Fort Yukon.
On June 1, 2024, the Fairbanks Rural Unit and the Fairbanks Areawide Narcotics Team thoroughly searched the boat. They found a small quantity of narcotics in a backpack, along with two firearms and assorted ammunition.
Interviews with the boat’s passengers revealed that two of them had taken three black ducks in Canada and brought them illegally into the United States. All four passengers had entered the U.S. illegally. Two of the passengers were illegal aliens found in possession of firearms.
The investigation is ongoing, with cooperation from the Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Homeland Security Investigations, the Fairbanks Areawide Narcotics Team (FANT), Federal Fish and Wildlife, and the Tanana Chief Conference VPSOs. The charges being considered include human smuggling, illegal entry, wildlife trafficking, and illegal possession of firearms.
