Two men who allegedly had 33 pounds of methamphetamine in a backpack after leaving a ferry in Whittier made their initial court appearances today in Anchorage.
Whittier Police arrested Eric James Hansen and Marshal Parke on Thursday. Federal authorities say Hansen brought the meth — worth “$225,000” in wholesale quantities — from Bellingham, WA to Whittier on the state ferry Kennicott.
The ferry made stops in Southeast Alaska on its way to Whittier, the closest state ferry terminal to Anchorage, about 60 miles away.
According to the charges, Alaska Marine Highway employees notified Whittier Police about a “suspicious passenger.” That passenger later turned out to be Hansen, the charges say. The charging document does not say what made Hansen seem suspicious but notes he had been seen with the backpack in the Whittier ferry terminal.
The charges say Parke was driving a GMC Yukon with Alaska license plates when police stopped the SUV, and Hansen was in the passenger seat. An unnamed woman rode in back. The charging document says police brought in a drug-sniffing dog that indicated the odor of narcotics coming from the vehicle.
The charges say that after getting a search warrant, police found the backpack filled with meth, as well as $8,000 cash in a briefcase, a scale with drug residue on it, a glass pipe with burnt edges and a small baggie with white powder.
Both Parke and Hansen are charged with possession with intent to distribute and conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
