ALASKA woman sentenced to 15 years for fentanyl trafficking

A Sitka woman has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for her leading role in the Southeast arm of an Alaska drug trafficking ring.

Thirty-one-year-old Karly Fuller was sentenced in an Alaska court on Wednesday [9/3], according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. She's one of over 60 people charged in the case.

Prosecutors say Fuller met a co-conspirator while incarcerated at Hiland Mountain Correctional Center in Anchorage in 2022. That co-conspirator allegedly recruited her to distribute drugs upon her release for a drug trafficking organization directed by an inmate in a California prison.

Fuller returned to Sitka later that year and recruited at least five others to work for the drug trafficking enterprise and distribute drugs in Southeast Alaska.

One of those individuals was 39-year-old co-defendant Stormy Cleveland of Ketchikan. Cleveland distributed drugs at Fuller's direction.

Between November and December of 2022, federal agents intercepted three drug parcels shipped by members of the drug enterprise to Cleveland in Sitka. Those parcels contained more than 15,500 illicit fentanyl pills.

Fuller's role also included laundering money for the drug enterprise. Between April and July of 2023, she participated in at least 95 money transactions totaling nearly $100,000.

Upon release from prison, Fuller will serve three years on supervised release.

Douglas Vanmeter, 44, of Sitka was also sentenced in the case on Wednesday. He was sentenced to 40 months in prison and three years on supervised release after pleading guilty in May to a conspiracy to distribute and to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.

Thirty-eight-year-old Mario Klanott, also of Sitka, pleaded guilty on June 13 to a conspiracy to distribute and to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. Klanott faces up to 20 years in prison.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Alaska was recused from this case with the exception of certain personnel. Public Affairs Specialist Reagan Zimmerman told KCAW on Thursday that she couldn't comment on why.