Authorities discovered suspected cocaine worth about $27,750 inside a coffee container in a passenger’s luggage at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport on Nov. 11, the Alaska Department of Public Safety said.
TSA officers noticed what appeared to be a white, chalky substance during a secondary baggage screening, and investigators with the Anchorage Airport Interdiction Team responded at about 6:55 a.m., the department said. The bag was identified as belonging to a 58-year-old resident of Selawik, Alaska.
The substance had a gross weight of about 185 grams and field-tested positive for cocaine, the department said. Authorities estimated the drugs would have a street value of $27,750 in the northwestern Alaska communities of Kotzebue and Selawik.
The man, identified by authorities as Walter Berry, was contacted at the departure gate as he prepared to board a flight from Anchorage to Kotzebue; his final destination was Selawik, the department said. Investigators said Berry had possession of the luggage before it was checked for the flight.
Berry was arrested and taken to the Anchorage Correctional Complex on a charge of third-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance, the department said. The investigation remains ongoing with assistance from the Western Alaska Alcohol and Narcotics Team.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
