Unalaska police have arrested another person in connection with alleged drug sales, and levied more charges against suspects who are already in custody.
Deputy chief Michael Holman says the newest defendant will appear in court Wednesday morning. This is the 16th arrest that Unalaska police have made in the past month as part of an investigation into heroin and meth sales.
More arrests could be coming as officers obtain and execute more search warrants. Holman says the department is currently working on getting permission to legally access data stored on cell phones, computers, and GPS devices that they’ve already seized as evidence.
Police used some of that evidence Tuesday to file additional charges against Stephen A. Rosa, 50, and his son, 24-year-old Tyson Rosa. The men were arrested last week, along with seven others, and immediately charged with multiple felonies each for allegedly participating in a meth ring.
Tyson Rosa is facing a new class B felony for allegedly possessing meth with the intent to distribute or sell it, and a new class C felony for alleged heroin possession. He now faces a total of four felony charges.
Stephen A. Rosa has been charged with two more class B felonies for allegedly possessing firearms in a residence and in a vehicle where he had stored drugs.
In all, Stephen A. Rosa is facing 16 felony charges. Police allege that Rosa was at the head of a continuing criminal enterprise involving the sale of meth, and that he supplied the meth that was sold to confidential informants on multiple occasions this fall.
Police have used three confidential informants in the course of their investigation. One of them recently testified at an indictment hearing for Eric J. Roach, 45, who is being charged with two felonies for allegedly selling meth to David Milton on two occasions in July.
According to court documents, Milton called in to speak to the grand jury in Anchorage about the case. The grand jury handed down an indictment.
Unalaska’s deputy police chief, Michael Holman, says Milton was a civilian informant. That term is reserved for a person who approaches police and offers to volunteer on an investigation.
Milton has since applied for a job as a police officer at Unalaska’s Department of Public Safety, Holman adds.
For the time being, the department is not releasing the identities of the other confidential informants.
