Anchorage Man sentenced to 50 months in prison for drug trafficking crime

Anchorage, Alaska-U.S. Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced today that an Anchorage man has been sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy M. Burgess to serve 50 months in prison for his role in importing large quantities of methamphetamine into Anchorage from California.   

Tori Dean LaFountain, 29, previously pled guilty to attempting to possess 270 grams of methamphetamine.  As part of his guilty plea, LaFountain admitted that he was working with others to traffic methamphetamine.  Specifically, he admitted that his role was to pick up packages of drugs when they arrived in Anchorage from California and then ensure that the packages were given to his associates for distribution. 

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie C. Courter, who prosecuted the case, LaFountain came to the attention of law enforcement in July 2015 after a box carrying 270 grams of methamphetamine was inadvertently delivered to the wrong address.  After realizing the mistake, LaFountain went to the home hoping to retrieve the drugs.  However, the homeowner had already called law enforcement about the incident.

During the sentencing hearing, the government noted that the methamphetamine LaFountain had attempted to retrieve had a street value of approximately $10,600.  The government also noted that LaFountain had admitted to receiving three previous boxes of methamphetamine prior to being apprehended in July.

During the sentencing hearing, Judge Burgess characterized LaFountain as an important cog in the wheel that is drug distribution and remarked that LaFountain played an essential role in getting drugs to Alaska.  Judge Burgess also stated that drug trafficking like LaFountain’s is “incredibly, inherently dangerous.”  In pronouncing the sentence, Judge Burgess focused on the seriousness of the offense but also spoke about the need for people like LaFountain – an admitted drug user – to get treatment for their addiction.

U.S. Attorney Loeffler commended the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Anchorage Police Department (APD), and the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), who investigated the case.