Winter in Unalaska by Sam Zmolek
Your voice in the Aleutians.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
The KUCB Newsroom provides newscasts Monday through Thursday at noon and 5 PM on KUCB Radio. You can find many of our local news stories here.

Seven Charged In Ongoing Meth Investigation

Laura Kraegel/KUCB

Updated: 12/28 at 5 p.m.

Seven people have been charged in a crackdown on methamphetamine distribution in Unalaska.

 

A press release from the Unalaska Department of Public Safety says for three months, officers have used confidential informants and undercover agents to identify local distribution networks.

 

Deputy police chief Jennifer Shockley says over the course of the operation, officers obtained methamphetamine from eight individuals.

 

“We did find meth, heroin, cash, and a number of firearms in one residence," Shockley said. "Interestingly, we also found some stolen property.”

 

Shockley says that means the department will be able to close out an unrelated theft case.

 

Plus, there was overlap with another case.

 

“Two of the defendants in the drug cases are also defendants in the counterfeiting [money] case,” she said.

 

That overlap can make the casework more complex and take a bit more time. And Shockley says the police want to make a case that can stand up in court.

 

“A single sale of a drug may not necessarily make a very good case for prosecution," Shockley said.

 

Being an underground business, Shockley says it’s hard to know a lot about the meth distribution in Unalaska. But over the past couple years, it seems like use of the drug has been rising.

 

So far in this case, seven people have been arrested and charged. Charges against the defendants include possession of a controlled substance, distribution of controlled substance, and illegal possession of firearms.

 

Six individuals were charged Friday including Sean Driscoll, 39; Geoffrey Edwards, 41; Ioane Faasavalu, 28; Nicholas Hough, 31; Christopher Oria, 28; and Henry Zablan, 37.

 

A seventh person – Melissa McGlashan, 30 – was arrested and charged over the holiday weekend.

 

Some of the defendants are out on bail while others remain in police custody.

 

This investigation is ongoing and the Unalaska Department of Public Safety expects to arrest at least one more person.

 

They encourage anyone with information about illegal drug sales to contact the police.

Original post: 12/27

Seven people have been charged in a crackdown on methamphetamine distribution in Unalaska.

A press release from the Unalaska Department of Public Safety (DPS) says for three months, officers have used confidential informants and undercover officers to identify local distribution networks.

During the operation, officers obtained methamphetamine from eight individuals.

Six people were charged Friday including Sean Driscoll, 39; Geoffrey Edwards, 41; Ioane Faasavalu, 28; Nicholas Hough, 31; Christopher Oria, 28; and Henry Zablan, 37.

A seventh person -- Melissa McGlashan, 30 -- was arrested and charged over the holiday weekend.

Charges against the defendants include possession of a controlled substance, distribution of controlled substance, and illegal possession of firearms. 

While searching residences and vehicles associated with the defendants, officers located several handguns, methamphetamine, heroin, and several thousand dollars in cash.

This investigation is ongoing and the DPS expects to arrest at least one more person.

They encourage anyone with information about illegal drug sales to contact the police.

Zoë Sobel reported for KUCB from 2016 until 2019. She returned to KUCB after a year living in Nepal and Malaysia as a Luce Scholar. She then returned to KUCB as a ProPublica reporter August of 2020 through August of 2021.
Related Content