Heroin trafficker sentenced in federal court

A Juneau man will spend the next five years in prison for the trafficking of  heroin.

Bradley Arin Bethel, 26, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Juneau on Wednesday.

Starting in October 2012, Bethel and another suspect, identified as Joshua River Riley, arranged for the transportation of heroin from Portland, Oregon.

According to a plea agreement signed by Bethel in April 2013, both he and Riley distributed the heroin in Juneau and used the proceeds from the sales to pay their sources. Bethel recruited a courier, provided money and a cell phone that was programmed with his contact number, and paid for the courier’s travel. Riley and the courier traveled separately to Oregon during a trip in early November 2012. They both returned to Washington together to catch a commercial flight to Juneau. The unidentified courier carried 106.4 grams of heroin that was intended for distribution in Juneau.

Riley was already sentenced last May to serve 30 months in prison for his role in the trafficking.

 

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