Alaska drug distributer linked to overdose death sentenced to nearly 22 years in prison

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An Anchorage man connected to the drug overdose of a young woman was sentenced Jan. 8 to 262 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, federal prosecutors announced Monday.

Dwight Williams, 51, pleaded guilty to the drug trafficking conspiracy in August, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Anchorage Police Department.

According to court records, Williams and a co-conspirator distributed significant amounts of heroin and methamphetamine, including to an Anchorage woman who died of an overdose after he supplied her with heroin. In his plea agreement, Williams admitted supplying the heroin to the woman and to taking steps to conceal his involvement in her death by making false claims to law enforcement. Prosecutors noted that just three days after the woman’s death, Williams continued his drug trafficking activities by arranging the sale of more than 100 grams of heroin and almost 30 grams of nearly pure methamphetamine.

At sentencing, Judge Timothy M. Burgess called Williams’ actions extremely reckless and cited the need for the sentence to protect the public from his future crimes. On his release from prison, Williams will remain under court supervision for five years. He was also ordered by Judge Burgess to forfeit a Cadillac Escalade he used to facilitate his drug trafficking activities.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska prosecuted the case.