United States Drug Enforcement Administration

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A former Anchorage defense attorney was sentenced yesterday to 20 years in prison for possessing fentanyl and methamphetamine with the intent to distribute the drugs in Alaska.

According to court documents, Justin Facey, 46, facilitated a drug trafficking organization run by a California prisoner, Heraclio Sanchez-Rodriguez, who was indicted on federal drug trafficking and murder charges in October 2023. To date, over 60 defendants have been charged in connection with the Sanchez-Rodriguez drug trafficking organization. 

Facey continued to engage in drug trafficking after the indictment of Sanchez-Rodriguez and other defendants. Between April 2024 and 2025, he utilized his residence to distribute and use controlled substances, including fentanyl and methamphetamine. Facey also possessed multiple firearms in furtherance of his drug trafficking crimes. Facey was suspended from practicing law on February 24, 2025. Prior to suspension, Facey was a practicing defense attorney in Anchorage. 

On May 20, 2025, Facey was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, one count of possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and one count of possession of firearms by a prohibited person. On July 17, 2025, a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment adding one count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute with a minor present. On June 22, 2026, Facey pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine.

In handing down the sentence, the Court emphasized that Facey fell far short of his professional responsibility to seek justice, and that he dehumanized and exploited vulnerable women in the course of his drug trafficking.

“Mr. Facey was driven by greed and power and bragged about being an attorney for the cartel, while he victimized his clients, trafficked fentanyl and meth, and solicited sex in exchange for drug debts,” said Robert A. Saccone, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. “He betrayed his oath to uphold the law and spread poison in his community. Through Fentanyl Free America, DEA and our law enforcement partners are disrupting the fentanyl supply chain, reducing its availability, and saving American lives.” 

“Mr. Facey egregiously betrayed his community while taking advantage of his clients and neglecting his ethical responsibilities,” said U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford for the District of Oregon. “Facey used his position to promote and personally assist a large-scale drug trafficking organization that endangered Alaskans and other communities. This sentence is a conclusion of a multi-year investigation and demonstrates that anyone who chooses profit over human life will be held accountable.” 

“Mr. Facey used his position as an attorney to fuel a drug trafficking organization operating within Alaska, eroding the public’s trust and safety in the process,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Schlegel of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “This sentencing demonstrates that no one, regardless of position or status, is above the law. The FBI, alongside the DEA and our law enforcement partners, will continue to investigate and hold accountable those who engage in drug trafficking activities.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska has been recused from this case with the exception of certain personnel. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven D. Clymer from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York has been appointed as Special Attorney to the United States Attorney General to assist with this and other recused cases.  He reports to and acts under the direction of the Deputy Attorney General, or his delegee, or U.S. Attorney Bradford in these cases. Special Attorney Clymer supervises personnel from the District of Alaska who have been exempted from the recusal.

The DEA Anchorage District Office and FBI Anchorage Field Office, with assistance from the Anchorage Police Department, investigated the case. 

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Region One comprises agents and officers from  Federal Bureau of Investigation; U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations – Seattle; the United States Attorney’s Office(s) for the Districts of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Eastern Washington, and Western Washington; the Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; U.S. Marshals Service; Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation Division; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); CBP – Office of Field Operations; CBP – Air & Marine Operations; U.S. Border Patrol; U.S. Coast Guard, Coast Guard Investigative Service; and Transportation Security Administration, Law Enforcement/Federal Air Marshal Service, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska.

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