INFORMATION RELEASE
Date: 2024-08-16
From: Erann Kalwara - JPD PIO
Case or Incident: #2024-00000040
On August 15, 2024 at around 9:30 a.m. members of the Southeast Alaska Cities Against Drugs (SEACAD) task force contacted an airline passenger at the Juneau International Airport. The female passenger was believed to be carrying narcotics as she traveled from Seattle to Juneau. During the investigation, SEACAD officers located the following controlled substances in a pet carrier, her carryon bag and on the female’s person:
- 433 grams of blue fentanyl pills imprinted M/30 (estimated street value of $80,000)
- 136 grams of cocaine (estimated street value of $15,000)
- 2 grams of powdered narcotics
38 year old Washington resident, Denise K. Nelson was arrested on one count of Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance 2nd degree (class A felony), one count of Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance 3rd degree (class B felony), and one count of Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance 5th degree (class A misdemeanor).
Nelson was transported to and lodged at the Lemon Creek Correctional Center.
SEACAD, Southeast Alaska Cities Against Drugs, is a regional task force comprised of municipal police departments from Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka, Haines, Skagway, Petersburg, Hoonah, Wrangell, Craig and Yakutat, the Alaska State Troopers, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Postal Inspection Service, and Coast Guard Investigative Service. Together, they work to investigate drug importation and distribution in the Southeast Alaska region.
All factual allegations contained in this release are based upon preliminary investigation and are subject to change or clarification as the investigation continues. Any charges reported in this release are merely accusations and all persons named in this release are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.