A 21-year-old man who was caught transporting three pounds of methamphetamine — reportedly the largest seizure in Southeast Alaska in at least 10 years— on the ferry between Bellingham and Ketchikan last May was “a patsy, plan and simple,” his defense attorney argued.
Federal prosecutors contended, however, that Jason Corey Vincent Alto’s role as a drug mule who intended to bring a large amount of meth to Anchorage was significant enough to warrant a more stringent sentence.
In the end, U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Burgess sentenced Alto in Juneau federal court on Wednesday to 20 months in prison and five years supervised release, with the first six months of that to be spent in a halfway house.
According to the indictment, the Egegik man was stopped by Alaska State Troopers when he disembarked in Ketchikan on May 30 and his luggage was seized after a K-9 alerted to controlled substances. A search warrant was obtained and 3.2 gross pounds of methamphetamine was discovered inside Alto’s bags.
Alto was charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute meth, which typically carries a 10-year mandatory minimum prison sentence. He was not subject to that time frame due to his age, however.
Alto took a plea agreement in September, with Assistant Federal Defender Jamie McGrady arguing for a sentence of one year and one day. In her sentencing memorandum, McGrady called the arrest a typical drug mule case and said that Alto “had no idea what he was carrying, how much he was carrying, or who would distribute it upon his arrival.” She called his role “minimal,” and noted his lack of criminal history other than two misdemeanor offenses.
“The drug trafficker responsible for this methamphetamine saw in Jason a perfect opportunity,” McGrady wrote. “He was young and inexperienced, he had a drug problem and he was easily manipulated.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Schmidt, however, initially asked for a 57-month sentence because of Alto’s role in what he called “the single largest seizure of methamphetamine in Southeast Alaska.”
Schmidt acknowledged Alto’s drug addiction but noted that he also was lured by the “quick and easy money” rather than a need to support his habit.
During Alto’s sentencing Wednesday, the judge initiated a lengthy discussion into sentencing guidelines and whether Alto played only a minor role as a drug mule.
Coast Guard criminal investigator Randal Thompson testified he was on board the ferry during the three-day trip from Bellingham to Ketchikan last May with another investigator for a covert security check, and noticed Alto because of his hyperactive behavior and incessant guarding of his two bags. Coast Guard Special Agent Rolando Blanco, the lead investigator in the case, said Alto denied any knowledge of the drugs in his bags, although the judge noted there was some circumstantial evidence that Alto had broken open one of the meth packages to look inside.
Burgess said it defied logic for Alto to claim he was given a free trip to Washington for anything other than a criminal enterprise. But, he added, there was no real evidence he knew what he was carrying.
McGrady asked Burgess to consider mandating time in drug rehabilitation, saying that incarceration will diminish Alto’s chance of success.
“You’ve dug a pretty deep hole for yourself,” Burgess told Alto, who said he planned on returning to Egegik and taking classes to become a commercial pilot.
Burgess called Alto a “poster child” for the bad decision-making stereotypical of his age group and said the “huge amount” of drugs was extremely serious.
“This was a tough case,” he said. “I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt.”
In addition to the prison term and drug rehab, Burgess also told Alto he will be required to either work or go to school for 40 hours a week during his supervision term.
“You’re extremely lucky today,” Burgess concluded. “You’ve got a chance; I hope you don’t blow that chance.”
• Contact reporter Liz Kellar at 523-2246 or at liz.kellar@juneauempire.com.
