NOME -- A former postmaster in Kotzebue is facing federal charges of drug trafficking that allegedly took place over a two-year period while he was running the local post office.
The U.S. attorney for Alaska announced Thursday that Shaun Pete Snyder of Kotzebue had been charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, among other drug-related charges. Between October 2016 and February 2018, the charges say, Snyder possessed marijuana and distributed packages containing the drug through the post office.
“If convicted, Snyder faces a maximum of up to five years in prison and a maximum of up to $250,000 in fines for the most serious charges alleged in the indictment," said Chloe Martin, the public affairs officer for the U.S. attorney’s office. "Those charges are conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, and illegal use of a communication facility, which in this case was a U.S. postal facility.”
According to the indictment, Snyder accepted cash payments from unnamed individuals to process mail that he knew contained marijuana while also helping them avoid detection by U.S. postal inspectors.
Martin said she could not comment on whether other individuals or entities were being investigated in connection with Snyder’s charges, but she said the investigation is ongoing.
Several Kotzebue residents told KNOM that Snyder continued working in the community after his removal from his position with the post office last year. Martin confirmed Snyder was not in custody but is set to be arraigned in Anchorage on March 12.
Multiple agencies including the U.S. Postal Service and Alaska State Troopers conducted the investigation in the case.
This article was originally published at KNOM.org and is republished here with permission.