Two people arrested in Seward with illegal drug stash

Alaska State Police and Alaska Game Wardens executed a search warrant at a residence in Seward on September 19 and found two individuals in possession of a large quantity of illegal drugs.

Michele Spiers, 58, and John Hoogland, 68, have been under investigation since July.

They were alleged to be in possession of fentanyl pills, fentanyl powder, heroin, methamphetamine, hydrocodone, LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, dronabinol and suboxone. They also had packaging materials, digital scales, several cell phones, counterfeit money and ledgers detailing the sale of illegal drugs over a four-year period.

Police said evidence seized during the raid incriminated numerous other people and that more charges were expected.

Spiers and Hoogland were charged with three counts of second-degree misdemeanor involving controlled substances, four counts of third-degree MICS, and one count of fourth-degree MICS.

Spiers was also charged with violating their release conditions. Both were taken to the Wildwood Pretrial Facility in Kenai without bail. The investigation is ongoing, cops said.

Spiers has been in prison for years for various crimes. Hoogland appears to be a truck driver and his court record mainly contains transportation-related violations, such as being overweight and having registration issues.