Three Bethel residents face charges in YK bootlegging investigation

Alaska State Troopers arrested three Bethel residents on charges tied to a large-scale illicit alcohol importation operation into the Yukon-Kuskokwim Region, capping a months-long investigation that spanned Bethel and Anchorage.

Joshua Cooper, 32, was taken into custody Sunday outside his Bethel residence after he produced a firearm while attempting to flee and actively resisted arrest. Troopers found multiple alcoholic beverages, cash, firearms, bags of psilocybin mushrooms, and further evidence of alcohol trafficking. Cooper faces 13 charges, including weapons misconduct, controlled substance offenses, three counts of assault on a law enforcement officer, five counts of illegal alcohol sales in a local option area, and resisting arrest. An inbound shipment of roughly 275 alcoholic beverages was intercepted following his arrest. A Bethel associate, a 28-year-old man, was also arrested Sunday on controlled substance and illegal alcohol sales charges.

Richard Massenburg, 45, a Bethel resident, was arrested the following day by the Anchorage Airport Interdiction Team. Troopers had identified Cooper and Massenburg as the suspected primary importers of illicit alcohol to the YK Region, shipping what investigators described as thousands of pounds of alcohol into Bethel on a regular basis. Investigators observed multiple transactions from both individuals and identified others suspected of assisting in the trafficking. A search warrant at Massenburg's residence led to the seizure of alcoholic beverages, cash, a vehicle used for trafficking, and further evidence of alcohol-related transactions. An additional 83 bottles of spirits were seized from an inbound shipment linked to him.

Investigation and Agencies

The investigation, which opened in late 2025, drew on six agencies: WAANT, the Western Alaska Major Crimes Unit, Bethel Patrol Troopers, the Bethel Police Department, the Anchorage Airport Interdiction Team, and Village Public Safety Officers. The Anchorage airport has emerged as a central node in statewide drug interdiction. The Department of Public Safety reported in April 2026 that 82 percent of all cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine seizures in 2025 ran through the Municipality of Anchorage, including the airport complex.

All three defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. Cases against the three are expected to proceed through the Alaska court system.