Haines Borough Police Dept. (Emily Files)
Police arrested a Haines man following a drug bust Wednesday, in which methamphetamine, cocaine and more than 50 marijuana plants were found.
Dean Lari was arrested and arraigned on two felony charges Thursday and two additional felony charges Friday.
They include three possession charges, which are class C felonies, and one more serious class B felony charge involving manufacturing or delivering drugs.
According to court documents, all of the charges stem from a police sting on Wednesday in which Lari was caught selling six grams of cocaine. Police obtained tape of Lari saying he would sell an ‘8 ball’ of cocaine for $275. Police provided the cash for the sale to an ‘associate’ who bought the drugs. They observed the exchange and pulled Lari over as he was driving away.
After seizing the cocaine from that sale, police obtained a warrant to search Lari’s house. There, they found a line of cocaine, a small plastic bag with a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine, and two marijuana grow rooms. Police say there were 33 mature plants and 24 seedlings in the rooms, totaling 57 plants. Alaska law allows adults over age 21 to possess as many as six marijuana plants. Officers also found small plastic bags and scales in the residence.
Police Chief Heath Scott commended his officers on the case.
“This is the type of work we’re going to continue to do here in the borough,” he said.
Lari was released from the Haines jail Friday on $4,000 bail.
A preliminary hearing is tentatively set for Oct. 27.
Ive spoken with Bear Dean Lari ,he says the charges have been dropped ,Why havent you aired that story ,This man was set up !.
Good job!!!
Good work police force! I say Meth is death! Over the decades I have seen how coke, meth and such kill people and destroy lives. I do think people have the right to use pot or not. But my oh my how many I have known got into heavy drinking or drug use and it all went bad. And we DO NOT want the problems Juneau has with hard drugs. So; bust them!
Amazing how fast you all have convicted the guy……..
Well, Dave Kyle… I believe that marijuana is NOT a precursor to addiction. I have personally used marijuana on and off for years and as a nurse have seen it’s use work wonders for people. Though I have smoked marijuana, I have never used any other drugs… I don’t even drink alcohol. You can not judge a group of people based upon the actions of one person. This is a really sad state of affairs, but it certainly is not an indicator that people who use marijuana are addicts.
please continue to bust dealers, please come to Skagway. we are sinking under the stench of oxycontin and heroin. there are CHILDREN involved. its a gross injustice to the decent drunks here.
Very disappointed in Dean. I have strong deep rooted feelings about drug dealers and how much pain they bring to individuals, families, and a community. Thanks Haines police for the good work. Dean was and is a strong advocate for legalizing hemp in Alaska. Wow! Know we know why!
About time, really not that hard to clean up the riff raff, just get after it! Thanks HPD.
Do we finally have a Police force that is willing to bust the local drug dealers. FINALLY!!.. locals have given leads to our Police for years..never much in the way of results. THANK YOU
Well that’s disappointing. I remember a conversation with Dean and he emphatically told me that marijuana was not a precursor to addiction. Apparently there must be some other issue at the root of this misbehavior. Poor guy.