The Justice Department has stepped up its efforts to combat the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) crisis in Alaska Native communities, while also taking on a transnational fentanyl trafficking ring that has targeted rural Alaska Native villages.
The crisis of MMIP has long plagued Indian and Alaska Native communities, with women and girls disproportionately affected. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland acknowledged the persistently high levels of violence that these communities have endured for generations, stating, "There is still so much more to do in the face of persistently high levels of violence that Tribal communities have endured for generations, and that women and girls, particularly, have endured."
In recognition of MMIP Awareness Day, the Justice Department highlighted ongoing efforts to address the crisis. The department recently announced the creation of the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Regional Outreach Program, which permanently places 10 attorneys and coordinators in five designated regions across the United States, including the Great Plains Region, which includes Alaska.
Ingrid Goodyear, the permanent MMIP Coordinator for the Great Plains Region, has been instrumental in addressing MMIP in Alaska. She has worked collaboratively with Federal, State, local and Tribal law enforcement, victim services and Tribal agencies to develop a unified plan to prevent and respond to MMIP situations. Goodyear’s efforts have also led to the creation of a multidisciplinary working group in Alaska solely focused on addressing the MMIP issue through trainings, education and consultations in all regions of the state.
The Justice Department also recently hired three Tribal Assistant U.S. Attorneys who will focus solely on prosecuting cases in rural Alaska that address public safety threats, including drug trafficking and firearm offenses. In January, the district announced that 53 people were charged following an investigation by a multi-jurisdictional task force into a transnational organized crime ring that targeted Alaska, allegedly trafficking kilograms of deadly drugs, including fentanyl, to rural Alaska Native communities and villages like Goodnews Bay and Tyonek, two communities with populations of under 200 people.
U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker stated, "Mrs. Goodyear’s permanent appointment and the hiring of our new Tribal AUSAs are additional steps in my office’s unwavering commitment to address MMIP and violent crime in Alaska. In the over three years that Mrs. Goodyear has been with our office as the district MMIP coordinator, she has had a tremendous impact on bringing partners and communities together to have crucial conversations about an issue that is gripping our state."
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Key Facts
- State: Alaska
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime|Public Corruption|Weapons|Human Trafficking|White Collar Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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