California Dealer Convicted in Fentanyl Overdose Death

A federal jury in Alaska has found a California man guilty of distributing fentanyl that led to the fatal overdose of a Fairbanks man in 2020.

Junior Gafatasi Tulali, 48, of California, was convicted in connection with the death of a Fairbanks man who died after taking counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Tulali agreed to sell 500 Oxycodone M30 pills to a dealer in Fairbanks in October 2020. However, the pills were counterfeit and laced with deadly fentanyl.

The pills were shipped from California and arrived in Fairbanks on October 17, 2020. The individual who retrieved the shipment distributed the counterfeit pills to several other dealers in the area. On October 26, 2020, the victim purchased two pills from the shipment and was found dead in his home on October 28, 2020.

Medical examiners determined that the cause of death was acute toxic effects of fentanyl. The conviction is the latest in a series of cases related to the distribution of fentanyl in Alaska.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and Fairbanks Police Department, with assistance from the FBI Anchorage Field Office and Alaska State Troopers, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carly Vosacek and Alana Weber are prosecuting the case.

“Fentanyl is poison and has killed too many Alaskans,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker. “The successful conviction of Mr. Tulali highlights my office’s vow to prioritize working with law enforcement to keep fentanyl out of our communities and prosecute those who cause irreparable damage by trafficking it to our state from Outside.”

“Mr. Tulali’s actions clearly demonstrated the grievous threat that fentanyl traffickers pose to our communities,” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. “Fentanyl traffickers have caused the deaths of far too many Alaskans and hopefully the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration and our partners in achieving this conviction will slow the deadly fentanyl trade in our community.”

“I am very proud of the role that Fairbanks Police officers played in helping the victims in this case find justice. The impressive collaboration between law enforcement agencies to hold this criminal accountable proves that we will do whatever is necessary to prevent criminal enterprises from gaining a foothold in our community,” said Chief Ron Dupee of the Fairbanks Police Department.

The conviction serves as a warning to those who would traffic fentanyl and other deadly substances into Alaska, and highlights the ongoing efforts of law enforcement to keep the state’s communities safe.