Troopers charge Glennallen woman after Richardson Highway drug stop

Troopers seized cocaine from a vehicle stopped near mile 114 of the Richardson Highway last month and charged Amanda Craig of Glennallen with fifth-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance.

A trooper stopped the vehicle for moving violations on July 17 at about 11:54 pm, according to a dispatch posted Aug. 7. A Village Public Safety Officer K-9 unit, sniffed the vehicle and gave a positive indication for narcotics. Troopers seized the vehicle, executed a search warrant and recovered cocaine. The dispatch reflects only the troopers' account and does not include a response from Craig. The charge is an accusation, and she is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

That stretch of highway has drawn earlier drug enforcement. Alaska News previously covered a May 30 stop at the same milepost that produced a fentanyl possession charge and a weapons charge. A K-9 unit also alerted on a vehicle near mile 187 of the Glenn Highway on July 11, where troopers seized cocaine and filed another fifth-degree drug charge.

Glennallen troopers asked Copper River Valley residents to submit anonymous tips about narcotics activity through the TIP 411 system.