Arizona man sentenced to 10 years in prison for role in smuggling fentanyl to Alaska

Anchorage, Alaska (KINY) – An Arizona man was sentenced to 10 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for his involvement in trafficking hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to Alaska on a prolonged period.

According to court records, 25-year-old Odarious Shaw orchestrated the distribution of fentanyl pills in Alaska, shipping them twice a week for more than six months. Shipments ranged between 40,000 and 50,000 tablets per delivery, with in some cases up to half a million tablets shipped at a time.

Investigations revealed that Shaw's operation involved obtaining pills in Arizona and asking buyers in Alaska to wire $150 to confirm the transaction. Once confirmed, Shaw arranged for a courier to travel to Anchorage with the drugs hidden in checked luggage. Upon arrival, the courier would exchange the pills for cash with the buyer, then immediately return to Arizona with the product.

On June 25, 2023, Shaw's courier and co-defendant, 26-year-old Corrion James, was apprehended at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, transporting more than 41,000 fentanyl pills from Phoenix, TX. Arizona. James was arrested while trying to sell the pills to a prearranged buyer. These pills had an estimated street value of between $400,000 and $600,000 in Anchorage and up to $4.8 million in rural Alaska.

Despite James' arrest, Shaw persisted in his drug trafficking activities until he was apprehended in Arizona in August 2023. James pleaded guilty in February 2024 and was sentenced to more prison time. three years for his role in the conspiracy.

At sentencing, Chief U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason identified Shaw as one of the leaders of the drug trade and expressed hope that the sentence would deter motivated individuals out of greed to traffic this deadly drug to Alaska.

This case highlights the severity of the opioid crisis and ongoing efforts to combat drug trafficking across state lines.