Alaska Joins Drug Trafficking Network

The Office of National Drug Control Policy announced today that Alaska will receive new funding to combat drug trafficking. The judicial districts of Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau have officially been designated High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA), so Alaska will get more resources and flexibility to coordinate state, federal, local, and tribal governments to fight drug abuse.

Governor Bill Walker requested the designation in January, as part of his Public Safety Action Plan to help address Alaska’s opioid epidemic. Until today, Alaska was the only state that had no designated HIDTA areas, leaving us without access to $250 million in federal anti-trafficking funding available to other states. Now, Alaska can harness federal funding to coordinate law enforcement and fight the production, transport, and use of illegal drugs.

“This is a critical development in our work to build a safer Alaska. This designation offers new doors to share information, new resources to fight the opioid epidemic, and new opportunities to save lives across Alaska,” said Governor Bill Walker.

Governor Walker also said he’s grateful for the support from Alaska’s congressional delegation, federal partners, state departments, and local law enforcement, who worked in concert to receive this designation, which will fund collaboration to build a safer Alaska.

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