Anchorage, Alaska - Acting U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced that an Anchorage man
was arrested and charged for the trafficking of multi-kilo quantities of heroin, as well as multi-pound
quantities of methamphetamine, which were to be distributed in the Anchorage area.
Cheng Chiew Saechao, 28, of Anchorage, was charged yesterday with possession with intent to
distribute 1,000 grams or more of heroin. Saechao had his initial appearance in court yesterday, and was
ordered detained pending grand jury indictment.
According to the complaint, on Oct. 23, 2017, federal, state, and local law enforcement
officers arrested Saechao following a seizure of nearly 10 pounds of methamphetamine by the United
States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), which had been shipped to Alaska from California. When law
enforcement officers subsequently searched Saechao’s residence, they found approximately 4 kilograms
of heroin, which is the approximate equivalent of 40,000 individual dose quantities. In total, the
complaint alleges that the street value of the drugs is approximately $400,000 for the heroin and
$1,000,000 for the methamphetamine.
At Saechao’s residence, evidence of drug distribution including packaging materials, a digital
scale, and a handgun were also found. Following his arrest, Saechao admitted receiving pounds of heroin
and methamphetamine in recent months and further admitted he intended to distribute the heroin
throughout the Anchorage area.
If convicted, Saechao faces a mandatory minimum 10 years to life imprisonment, a $10 million
fine, and a minimum of five years of supervised release.
The Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force (DEA), United States Postal Inspection Service
(USPIS), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Homeland Security
Investigations (HSI), Anchorage Police Department Vice Unit, Alaska State Troopers, Anchorage Airport
Police Department and Alaska National Guard Counter Drug Support Program conducted the
investigation leading to the charges in this case.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and
is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
