INFORMATION RELEASE

On 05/23/2023, members of the Drug Enforcement Agency and Southeast Alaska Cities Against Drugs (SEACAD) task force, traveled to Washington State to locate and serve an outstanding Federal arrest warrant on 50-year-old Washington resident Sauhna Kay Cranston. On 05/24/2023, SEACAD located Cranston in Tukwila Washington, and arrested her on the warrant. Cranston is currently being held in Federal Custody in the Western District of Washington and is awaiting extradition to Alaska to face her indictment.

The warrant arrest is the result of multiple investigations by SEACAD in 2022, into the importation and distribution of drugs to Juneau, Alaska. The investigation resulted in multiple arrests of people attempting to bring narcotics into Juneau from Washington State, and Cranston was identified as the source of the distribution.

On 04/18/2023, Cranston was indicted by Federal Grand Jury in Anchorage, Alaska, for violation of United States Code 21:86 and 841(a)(1),(b)(1)(A),(C): Drug Conspiracy. On 04/24/2023, a Federal arrest warrant was issued for Cranston.

The successful outcome of this investigation highlights the effective teamwork of SEACAD, as they work to hold those accountable for drug trafficking in Juneau, as well as all communities in Southeast Alaska.

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.