ANCHORAGE – A federal jury convicted an Anchorage man on two counts of distributing heroin following two controlled operations in June 2020.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Jason McAnulty, aka “Snoop,” 38, sold approximately 101 grams of heroin for $5,000 cash on June 17, 2020, and nine days later sold approximately 25 grams of heroin for $1,300 cash to a law enforcement source. Following the two controlled buys, law enforcement executed a search warrant at McAnulty’s residence in July 2020 where they found more than $34,000 cash and other drug distribution contraband.
“Opioids are fueling an addiction crisis that is killing Alaskans, destroying lives and causing unfathomable misery,” said U.S. Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr., of the District of Alaska. “For the sake of a few dollars, drug dealers like McAnulty willingly become instruments and facilitators of this tragic carnage. With our law enforcement partners, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will work to stop these dealers and protect the public with consequential prosecutions.”
“Part of keeping Anchorage safe is arresting those who distribute drugs on our streets. Our HIDTA unit is designed for this purpose,” said Anchorage Chief of Police Michael Kerle. “Because of HIDTA’s focus on drug trafficking along with our strong relationships with our law enforcement partners we are able to arrest dangerous drug traffickers like Jason McAnulty.”
McAnulty was indicted on the charges in September 2020. Following his conviction at trial, McAnulty faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison given his State of Alaska conviction for a serious violent felony – Robbery in the First Degree. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Anchorage Police Department (APD), in support of Alaska’s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program, are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys George Tran and Stephan Collins are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Alaska’s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA). HIDTA was established in 2018 to enhance and coordinate efforts among local state and federal law enforcement agencies, providing equipment, technology and additional resources to combat drug trafficking and its harmful consequences in critical regions of Alaska.
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