ANCHORAGE - Growing and selling illegal drugs was mostly a family affair. That is what Anchorage police are saying about four men who were arraigned Wednesday for running a marijuana grow operation and a heroin distribution ring.
The four men, arrested Tuesday morning on 15 felony charges, told a judge today that they are unemployed and have little or no money.
Police say William Garrett Patrick, 56, and his sons, Jared Lloyd Patrick, 25, and John Jacob Patrick, 28, had a family business -- using so-called “mules” to bring in heroin from California for sale here, and growing marijuana in Anchorage for local distribution.
"This is their sole source of income,” said APD spokesperson Anita Shell. “None of the three had jobs. So any of the trailers they had, the vehicles that they drove, the bills that they were paying, we believe was all from drug proceeds."
Search warrants were executed Tuesday at five trailer homes in four trailer parks, all of the homes linked to the Patrick family, including one where the fourth defendant, Colt Allen Burdick, lived.
Police seized 239 marijuana plants of as-yet undetermined value, about $63,000 worth of heroin, about $5,000 in cash, three vehicles and some weapons.
About $128,000 had been seized earlier from safety deposit boxes belonging to William Patrick and John Patrick.
Acting on a tip in November, Anchorage police began a two-month investigation culminating in the raids and arrests.
"We were conducting surveillance to determine how many people were going in and out of the house, who may have been involved, and just working with the D.A.'s office to make a good prosecutable case, a solid case," Shell said.
If police are right, a family that did crimes together will do time together.
The four men are scheduled back in court tomorrow. Three of them asked for public defenders, while John Patrick retained a private attorney.
