It's been more than four years since a man with ties to a notorious Anchorage drug smuggling ring was shot to death by an intruder in his home. Now his family is offering a reward for the killer's conviction.
Oleg "Al" Bohlouli, 45, was shot and killed at his home at 5524 Lucky Road at about 3 a.m. on July 3, 2005. A witness to the attack told authorities an unknown man broke in, shot Bohlouli and ran off into the night.
Police never caught the killer. Investigators found a large marijuana-growing operation in the home, and Bohlouli's family, which recently put up $5,000 for information on the case, suspects that had something to do with the slaying.
But was he killed because he knew too much about the multimillion-dollar drug conspiracy? Or was it just a robbery over drugs?
"I believe that my brother knew too much because he got himself involved with this. I think he knew too many people, he knew too many things," said Bohlouli's sister, Kim Bender, 51. "I think that's one of the reasons why he was murdered: because of talking too much."
The family is in Anchorage this week trying to renew interest in the case. They are planning a graveside press conference this afternoon.
At the time of his death, Bohlouli's connections included a man named Steven M. Roberts, who helped Bohlouli with the marijuana grow in his basement, Bender said.
"He thought it was going to be his own operation, although (Roberts) is the one that set it up for him financially," Bender said. "I don't think he knew what he got himself into or how big it was."
Prosecutors say Roberts was a part of an international drug and money laundering ring and is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence on a federal drug-trafficking conspiracy charge.
According to a federal indictment, Roberts was one of the drivers who brought drugs -- 100 pounds of marijuana every two to six weeks as well as Ecstasy pills, according to authorities -- from Canada to Alaska.
Roberts also "tended marijuana grows" around town, at least one of which contained more than 1,200 plants, and sold the imported drugs once they arrived in Anchorage, according to court records. One of the operations he ran was with Bohlouli, who is identified in the indictment as a co-conspirator.
An Anchorage real-estate investor, Thomas Cody, and his partner, Joe Bryant -- who killed himself in 2006 -- started the illicit, multimillion-dollar business around 2000, smuggling the drugs across the Canadian border in hidden truck compartments, according to prosecutors.
Two other players in the conspiracy, Thomas Ranes and Dennis Shine -- co-owners of an auto shop -- were accused of shooting Cody to death in his Hillside home in 2005, then dumping his body near Jim Creek. They then took over the operation, which federal investigators broke up with the arrests of Ranes, Shine, Roberts and others in 2006.
Shine pleaded guilty to charges of murder and conspiracy and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Ranes, the alleged leader, pleaded guilty to charges of marijuana importation conspiracy and money laundering. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Russo, who prosecuted the cases, said federal authorities looked into Bohlouli's death but weren't able to find anything to land it in federal jurisdiction. They passed on the information they had to Anchorage police.
"It sounds like this was a drug rip-off, so this wasn't one co-conspirator murdering another," Russo said. "This was a case of someone on the outside saw an opportunity to make some money and it appeared to have sort of been an aborted robbery attempt."
Police spokeswoman Anita Shell said the case remains open and police are hoping someone who knows something will come forward. Relationships and allegiances can change, and someone who wouldn't have talked four years ago might be willing to come forward now, she said.
"We have received limited information from people that we've spoken to regarding the case," Shell said. "We've exhausted all the leads that we have in the case up to this point and we're just looking for any new information."
That's exactly what Bohlouli's family wants. Ron Bohlouli, 55, said the family will pay $5,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to a conviction in the death of his brother, whose death hit the family hard.
"The first year-and-a-half, two years, I was literally in a fog. I was out there on autopilot," Ron Bohlouli said. "Today, I'm really outraged, very, very angry, but I'm a lot better now than I was four years ago as far as dealing with the loss."
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 561-STOP or to submit tips anonymously at www.anchoragecrimestoppers.com. Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information about the case in addition to the money the family has put up.
"I don't believe in the word 'closure' because he's never going to come back, but I do believe in justice," Bender said. "I know, out here somewhere, somebody knows what really happened and who killed him. And I hope that person has the courage to step up and do the right thing."
By JAMES HALPIN
jhalpin@adn.com