Whatcom County man receives prison sentence for distributing meth and heroin in Alaska
A Blaine man who was previously arrested in Bellingham for his role in a 2013 riot near Western Washington University was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after he was found in Ketchikan, Alaska, with more drug doses than there are people in that city.
Spencer Hill, 24, of Blaine, was sentenced Thursday, April 22, in U.S. District Court in Alaska to 10 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and heroin in Ketchikan, according to a Department of Justice release.
As part of a drug investigation in November 2019, the Ketchikan Police Department searched Hill’s Alaska residence and found 228 grams of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, a money-counting machine, a stolen Kel-Tec .22 caliber pistol and keys to a safety deposit box, according to the release.
In the safety box, police found an additional 1,485 grams of methamphetamine and 815 grams of heroin, according to the release. All told, 3.7 pounds of methamphetamine (or approximately 8,410 doses) and 1.78 pounds of heroin (or approximately 8,130 doses) were seized.
The population of Ketchikan in 2019 was 8,228 people, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates.
Hill began traveling to Ketchikan in September 2019 to direct the distribution of large amounts of methamphetamine and heroin in the area, the release states.
Hill used his profits to purchase more meth and heroin through the U.S. Postal Service from his Washington state supply source, according to the release.
Whatcom County Superior Court records show Hill was one of more than a dozen people arrested by Bellingham Police in connection with the 2013 off-campus riot in the Sehome neighborhood, after about 400 college-aged partiers took to the streets late Oct. 12 after police broke up a block party on Jersey Street.
Near Laurel Park, rioters blocked the street, threw bottles and cinder blocks at cars, and taunted law enforcement. After about two hours, police broke up the ruckus with flash grenades and beanbag rounds. Videos of the clash briefly made national news.
Hill was convicted of one count of rioting, a gross misdemeanor, and served four days in jail and six months community supervision, court records show.
Hill also was convicted of taking a motor vehicle without permission in 2012 in Whatcom County, court records show.
