Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced that Charles Denver Phillips a/k/a “Pup,” and his wife, Lois Latrilla Phillips, 46, were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sharon L. Gleason for conspiring to distribute and for actually distributing methamphetamine.  The couple lived in Anchorage.  

As the Phillips admitted in their pleas, in August 2018, they maintained a stash of methamphetamine that they intended to distribute in Alaska.  They kept some of their stash in their apartment but maintained the majority in a CONEX located at an Anchorage dog-kenneling business.  

On August 7, 2018, Charles and Latrilla sold 401 grams of methamphetamine to a repeat customer.  Law enforcement officials observed Latrilla leave the couples’ apartment and drive to the dog kenneling business where she and Charles controlled a CONEX container that contained methamphetamine.  Latrilla then returned, indirectly, to her apartment, where she gave methamphetamine to Charles.  Charles then sold the 401 grams of methamphetamine to the repeat customer. 

On August 10, 2018, law enforcement officials searched the Phillips’ Anchorage, Alaska apartment and their off-site CONEX.  The Phillips’ apartment contained 120 grams of methamphetamine, some of which was packaged in baggies containing scenes from the Disney movie “Frozen.”  The Phillips also had several digital scales, drug packaging items, and $24,942 of drug trafficking proceeds in their apartment.  The apartment contained many décor and clothing items that reflect Charles’ membership in the Hells Angels, an outlaw motorcycle gang.  The Phillips’ CONEX contained an additional ten pounds of methamphetamine. 

Charles Phillips is a Career Offender.  His criminal history includes two prior felony drug trafficking convictions, from 2006 and 2009, respectively.   Indeed, Phillips was on supervised release for his prior federal methamphetamine trafficking conviction when he engaged in this methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy.  Charles also obstructed justice prior to entering his guilty plea.  Judge Gleason sentenced Charles to 18 years in federal prison plus 5 years of supervised release.

Judge Gleason found that Latrilla merited a shorter sentence given that she had no prior criminal history, she had demonstrated a strong work ethic over the years, and she had succeeded in and earned accolades for her substance abuse treatment and rehabilitation efforts while on release pending trial.  Judge Gleason thus sentenced Latrilla Phillips to 8 years in federal prison and 4 years of supervised release.  Both Charles and Latrilla agreed to forfeit $24,942 in drug trafficking proceeds found in their apartment.   

The Alaska State Troopers (AST) with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of this case, which was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Sayers-Fay.