A tip submitted to the Nome Statewide Drug Enforcement, or SDEU, resulted in quick action and the arrest of two women for drug possession.

On Dec. 10, the SDEU were informed that two women from Point Hope, Grace Tuzroyluke and Masuk Marcelina Casados-Lane were transporting cocaine on their flight from Anchorage to Kotzebue.

The pair had a layover in Nome on Dec. 9, where they were removed from their Kotzebue bound flight for poor behavior. They were subsequently rebooked to fly to Kotzebue on an evening flight on Dec. 10. The SDEU received their tip before the women caught their new flight. The SDEU were granted a search warrant and searched the bags and persons of Tuzroyluke and Casados-Lane.  A second warrant, allowed the SDEU to perform a body scan on Tuzroyluke. The searches turned up 27.2 grams of cocaine carried by Casados-Lane and 59.3 grams carried by Tuzroyluke. Together, the cocaine found amounted to approximately $12,900.

Authorities believe that, due to the large amount of cocaine involved, Tuzroyluke and Casados-Lane meant to distribute the drugs.

The two women were arrested and placed in the Anvil Mountain Correctional Center. They each were charged with misconduct involving controlled substances in the third degree.

Image at Top: Anvil Mountain Correctional Center. Photo courtesy of Margaret DeMaioribus; KNOM (2016).