December 31, 2025

(Anchorage, AK) - Alaska Attorney General Stephen J. Cox this week sent a letter to Alaska Airlines seeking clarification of company policies that discourage employees from cooperating with law enforcement efforts to interdict illegal drugs entering Alaska.

The letter outlines Alaska's drug crisis and the state's unique vulnerability as a geographically isolated destination where virtually all illicit drugs are imported from Outside. State data cited in the letter show overdose deaths rising from 121 in 2015 to 339 in 2024-an increase of roughly 180 percent-driven largely by fentanyl and methamphetamine, with disproportionate harm to Alaska Native communities.

Attorney General Cox raised concerns about reported internal practices that instruct employees not to cooperate with law enforcement outside of formal legal process. According to the letter, this dynamic is already undermining prosecutions. In some instances, prosecutors have declined to pursue otherwise viable cases out of concern that calling an Alaska Airlines employee as a witness would expose that employee to workplace retaliation-an outcome the letter notes serves neither public safety nor justice.

"Alaska's transportation systems-commercial aviation foremost among them-play an unavoidable role in the movement of people and goods into our state," Attorney General Cox said. "When employees observe conduct that is plainly suspicious or dangerous, policies that deter good-faith cooperation with law enforcement risk shielding criminal activity and compounding the harm already being done to Alaska communities."

The letter also highlights apparent inconsistencies within the company's own Code of Conduct, which encourages employees to contact law enforcement in certain contexts while elsewhere warning that cooperation with government officials without internal approval could result in discipline or termination. Cox noted that such contradictions risk chilling lawful cooperation that supports public safety and accountability.

The Attorney General invited Alaska Airlines to meet with the Department of Law to discuss the rationale behind these policies and to explore whether clarification or refinement is warranted, consistent with the law, to combat the flow of illicit controlled substances into Alaska.

Read the AG letter to Alaska Airlines here.

# # #

Department Media Contacts: Communications Director Patty Sullivan at [email protected] or (907) 269-6368. Information Officer Sam Curtis at [email protected] or (907) 269-6269.