A 39-year-old North Pole man was sentenced Friday to 13 years in federal prison for trafficking methamphetamine and heroin.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, an investigation into Ray Don Groskreutz began on July 27, 2015, after Alaska State Troopers conducted a welfare check at the hotel Groskreutz was staying at. At the time, Groskreutz was out on court-ordered release in connection with three other cases.
Groskreutz told troopers he had been "shooting up" that day and agreed to let them search him, prosecutors said.
Groskreutz had a loaded handgun, a Taser and $6,000 in cash on him, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Troopers also found a backpack in his room that held 200 grams of methamphetamine, 71.1 grams of heroin, $11,000 in cash, a drug ledger, a digital scale and drug paraphernalia, prosecutors said.
Troopers found 14 guns and ammunition? in Groskreutz's van. He admitted that the weapons were used for drug trafficking, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Groskreutz took a federal plea deal for the drug trafficking and weapons charges and also pleaded guilty to two open state cases. He'll be on four years of supervised release after his 13-year prison sentence.