Exclusive: Alaska AG Stephen Cox Presses Alaska Airlines on Policies That May Hinder Drug Enforcement

President Trump has made it very clear that he intends to put an end to the infiltration of illegal drugs in America. The Trump administration has carried out several strikes on narco-terrorist vessels in international waters, with the most recent strike coming on December 22. That vessel was in the Eastern Pacific, and one narco-terrorist was killed during that kinetic action. 

To date, the United States has carried out more than two dozen such strikes, killing over 100 people in the Pacific and Caribbean since September.

President Trump issued a warning to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro after that strike, saying, “If he wants to do something, if he plays tough, it’ll be the last time he’s ever able to play tough.”

On December 29, President Trump reported that the U.S. destroyed a Venezuelan facility that was a drug production site.

That move came two weeks after the Trump administration declared fentanyl a “weapon of mass destruction” and President Trump signed a sweeping Executive Order that gives the government the ability to pursue sentencing enhancements, financial consequences, and military resources to combat fentanyl trafficking.

To align with that mission, Alaska Attorney General Stephen Cox has sent a letter to Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci, warning him and his company about its alleged lack of cooperation with law enforcement, particularly regarding the illegal flow of controlled substances into a state where location and transportation logistics make it a more desirable target for drug traffickers.

The letter, sent exclusively to Townhall, AG Cox wrote:

“Alaska is facing an unprecedented public safety and public health crisis driven by the illegal distribution of controlled substances. Unlike many other states, Alaska’s geographic isolation and transportation realities mean that virtually all illicit drugs consumed in Alaska are imported from outside the state. That creates a substantial price markup for illicit drugs, making our communities uniquely attractive targets for drug trafficking organizations. The Alaska Department of Public Safety’s 2024 Annual Drug Report confirms this pattern and documents a surge in drug seizures statewide.

The human toll is staggering. Overdose deaths rose from 121 in 2015 to 339 in 2024, an increase of approximately 180 percent over that period. Many of these deaths involved fentanyl and methamphetamine, often in combination, and disproportionately impacted Alaska Native communities.”

Cox also points to signs posted by Alaska Airlines that appear to instruct airline employees not to comply with federal authorities.

🚨 NEW: This was sent to me by an @AlaskaAir employee. A company poster instructs employees not to comply with federal authorities.

Hey @realDonaldTrump, @DHSgov Alaska Airlines is openly obstructing federal law enforcement operations. I think it’s time to see what federal funds… pic.twitter.com/lWCaAwGuVX

— David Medina 🦫🇺🇸 (@davidmedinapdx) November 30, 2025

Cox addressed these signs in the letter, too:

“In discussions with our law enforcement partners, I have been advised that Alaska Airlines has adopted internal policies and practices that actively discourage employees from cooperating with law enforcement outside of formal legal process,” Cox wrote. “Most notably, recently reported signage displayed to employees instructs, ‘If a law enforcement officer or government official asks you for guest information, stop, don’t comply.’ I am further advised that employees who do provide tips or information to law enforcement that prove useful in disrupting drug trafficking do so at personal and professional risk, including the possibility of discipline or termination if their cooperation is discovered.”

Cox ended the letter by inviting Minicucci to a meeting. “I invite you and your team to meet with my team and me to discuss Alaska Airlines’ policy decisions in this area. My goal is to better understand the rationale behind these policies, explore whether there is room for clarification or refinement, and determine how Alaska Airlines and the State of Alaska can work together, consistent with the law, to reduce the flow of illicit controlled substances into our state.”

The Trump administration has made it clear that drug trafficking of any kind isn’t merely a policy or public-health issue. It is an active, terroristic threat to American lives and will be treated that way. This includes the military kinetic strikes against narco-terrorists in international waters, as well as enhanced criminal and financial penalties for traffickers on American soil. It’s clear that the era of soft-on-crime half-measures is over.

AG Cox’s letter supports that mission, and he is demanding clarification and cooperation in the face of a deadly crisis that has already claimed hundreds of Alaskan lives.

If fentanyl is a weapon of mass destruction, as the Trump administration has declared, then every institution that touches the possible drug trafficking supply train has a responsibility to ensure it is not shielding traffickers, whether intentionally or otherwise.

Now the only question that remains is how Alaska Airlines will respond to AG Cox’s letter, and if it will work with law enforcement to stop the flow of drugs into the state.

Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.

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