ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Odraius Shaw, 25, a drug trafficker from Arizona, faced justice today as he was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his role in smuggling hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills into Alaska.
The defendant, who was also sentenced to three years’ supervised release, distributed the deadly substance twice a week over six months. His shipments ranged from 40,000 to 50,000 pills per transaction, with some containing up to 500,000 pills.
Shaw’s modus operandi involved obtaining fentanyl in Arizona and receiving payments via money transfer services from buyers in Alaska. He would then arrange for the drugs to be delivered by a courier on a commercial flight, who would collect cash upon delivery before returning to Arizona.
In a major bust on June 25, 2023, Shaw’s courier, Corrion James, was arrested at Anchorage’s Ted Stevens International Airport with over 41,000 fentanyl pills. The street value of the seizure ranged from $400,000 to $600,000 in Anchorage and up to $4.8 million in rural Alaska.
Despite James’ arrest, Shaw continued his illegal activities until he was apprehended in August 2023 in Arizona. James pleaded guilty in February 2024 and received over three years in prison for his involvement.
Chief U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason emphasized that Shaw was a leader in the drug trafficking ring, hoping his sentence would deter others from similar crimes. “A single pill can destroy someone’s life,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker, adding, “My office will continue to hinder the inflow of illegal fentanyl into our state.”
The FBI Anchorage Field Office and the Alaska State Troopers, working with local law enforcement partners, played key roles in investigating and prosecuting this case.
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Key Facts
- State: Alaska
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime|Public Corruption|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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