Two men in Bethel face a range of felony charges for allegedly running an operation that marketed and sold large amounts of alcohol without a license in the “damp” community.
Alaska State Troopers say 32-year-old Joshua Cooper was the organizer of the alleged bootlegging operation.
According to charging documents, Cooper advertised a range of alcoholic beverages on social media and filled orders for customers at his residence in Bethel. He allegedly used an air cargo carrier to regularly send hundreds of pounds of alcohol to Bethel at a time.
Bethel is a local option community that has banned the sale of most alcohol. The only exceptions are two restaurants that currently sell beer and wine under a liquor license designated for eateries.
Residents can still legally import a significant volume of alcohol, but only for personal consumption.
Troopers said that they had been investigating Cooper since late 2025 and claim he is “one of the primary importers of alcohol to the region.”
Troopers arrested Cooper outside of his residence in Bethel on June 28. They said that he attempted to wield a handgun as two plainclothes investigators and a uniformed trooper placed him in handcuffs.
In a search of the residence, troopers said that they found a white board listing prices for different types of alcoholic beverages, as well as pricing for psilocybin mushrooms, also known as “magic” mushrooms. They said they found alcohol and mushrooms in the residence, as well as alcohol purchase slips and air cargo receipts.
Troopers also separately arrested and charged 28-year-old Austin Blair for his alleged role handling alcohol and mushroom sales for Cooper.
The state has charged Blair with felony third-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance and two felony counts of selling alcohol without a permit.
Cooper has been charged with five felony counts for the alleged bootlegging, as well as felony charges of drugs and weapons misconduct, assault, and misdemeanor resisting arrest.
Both men are being held at the Yukon Kuskokwim Correctional Center in Bethel. Preliminary hearings in their cases are set for July 9 in Bethel court.
