Fentanyl Deaths: Man Convicted in Alaska

0:00It's March 26, I'm Koi with the story, and this is Anchorage News Today, your AI-powered local news. A federal jury in Alaska convicted a 34-year-old man from Spokane, Washington of distributing fentanyl pills that caused the overdose deaths of two men in Skagway. Jacob Cotton faces charges of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and distribution resulting in death after a five-day trial. Officers say Cotton mailed the deadly pills through the U.S. Postal Service on January 9, 2023. The package reads Skagway between January 11 and 12, marking the first time fentanyl hit that remote town. Both victims died within days of the Schimmens arrival. A 28-year-old local distributor found unresponsive on January 13 and A. 44-year-old buyer the next afternoon, the Alaska State Medical Examiner's office ruled acute fentanyl toxicity as the cause for each. Investigators uncovered 62 pills hidden in a computer tower during a search of the distributor's

1:03home. Trial evidence included shipping records, digital messages, and payment details linking Cotton to the sales. With the jury confirming the fentanyl caused both deaths, Cotton now faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison on each count, potentially up to life. Authorities from the Drug Enforcement Administration and local police wrapped up the case through a joint task force.