Las Vegas men indicted on federal charges linking them to trafficking fentanyl in Alaska

Two Las Vegas men have been indicted on federal charges after authorities said they were part of a group of people who trafficked fentanyl from California and Nevada to Alaska for six months.

A press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Alaska stated that, beginning around September and continuing through March , 37-year-olds Helmut Mey and Jonhatan Lau-Osuna, both of Las Vegas, conspired with each other to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl in Alaska. The release said another man, Christian Rodgers, 33, of Kenai, Alaska, also aided Mey and Lau-Osuna.

Mey and Lau-Osuna have been charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. Mey also faces one count of attempted possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.

If convicted, all three defendants face between 10 years and life in prison.

The release said that Assistant U.S. Attorney Mac Caille Petursson is prosecuting these cases, with assistance from other U.S. attorney’s offices, including the Central District of California and the District of Nevada.

Authorities from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Alaska State Troopers and others worked to “disrupt the flow of dangerous narcotics into Alaska through the mail,” an Alaskan public affairs officer said. “Together, the agencies work tirelessly to interdict suspicious U.S. Postal Service and other carriers’ parcels, with a goal of seizing narcotics before they enter communities and prosecuting those responsible for trafficking drugs to Alaska.”

Contact Akiya Dillon at adillon@reviewjournal.com.