Two residents of a house in the 400 block of Fourth Street are facing drug conspiracy charges after allegedly having oxycodone and methamphetamine shipped to their house by mail.
Christian John Peters, 44, and Tiffany Jo Spaulding, 34, were arraigned Thursday in U.S. District Court after a multi-agency warrant search of their house at 427 Fourth St. Wednesday afternoon; they remain in custody at Lemon Creek Correctional Center.
According to the criminal complaint filed by U.S. Postal Service Inspector Aaron Behnen, he is currently assigned to Juneau to investigate the transportation of controlled substances.
Behnen wrote in the complaint that he identified as a suspicious package on Aug. 6 that was addressed to a “Rosetta Stone” at the Fourth Street address and that was coming from a California address. The parcel was searched and contained a large canister of coffee with three bundles hidden inside; the bundles reportedly contained 50 pills identified as oxycodone and 221 grams of suspected methamphetamine.
An electronic alerting and tracking device was placed inside the package, which was then delivered to the front porch of the residence on Wednesday, Behnen wrote. After the carrier knocked on the door, Spaulding retrieved the package and went inside, according to the complaint. Peters arrived about 15 minutes later and the electronic monitoring device alerted the investigators that the parcel had been opened about an hour after that.
[Neighboring houses raided days apart]
The warrant was then executed and Peters and Spaulding were taken into custody, Behnen wrote, adding that the parcel and coffee canister had been opened. According to Behnen, Peters had “clue spray” from the coffee container and its contents on his pants and inside a pocket; there also was evidence of the clue spray on a pair of gloves inside the house.
Spaulding reportedly told investigators that her neighbor, identified only as Mark, told her that narcotics were being shipped to the house and that she was expected to give it to him when it arrived. She reportedly notified Mark and Peters, and then saw Peters open the parcel and the coffee container, removing a bundle from the inside.
Peters allegedly said that he had no knowledge of the contents of the parcel, and opened it out of curiosity. He said he frequently wears gloves because he is a mechanic, and denied removing anything from the coffee canister.
A subsequent search of the residence reportedly uncovered a digital scale and a suspected drug ledger, suspected meth and marijuana, ziplock bags and drug paraphernalia including pipes and needles, and the recording system for security cameras at the residence.
The week before, JPD officers searched the neighboring house at 423 Fourth St., with assistance from Alaska State Troopers and the U.S. Coast Guard. The search warrant reportedly was for stolen property, but no arrests had been made as of earlier this week.
Contact reporter Liz Kellar at 523-2246 or liz.kellar@juneauempire.com.
