25-05-2025
Big city cartel lawyer arrested for 'doing the bidding' of murderous clients in major drug trafficking bust
A criminal defense attorney with a 'methamphetamine addiction' has been arrested for allegedly working for a murderous drug trafficking gang.
Justin Facey, 44, boasted about his role as the go-to attorney for the violent criminal organization that would smuggle hard drugs from Mexico to Alaska, federal prosecutors have claimed in shocking court documents.
The Anchorage criminal defense attorney was indicted on charges of maintaining a drug-involved premises and possessing firearms in connection with drug trafficking.
Facey, who allegedly coerced sex acts from minors and clients of his legal service, told colleagues that cartel members 'literally threw a duffle bag from a moving vehicle onto my roof to hire me last week, and claimed he 'had to retrieve it with a ladder' according to prosecutors.
The case is part of a massive federal investigation that has led to more than 60 indictments.
Four members of the trafficking ring were charged in the 2023 murders of two women found in Trapper Creek.
Prosecutors describe the operation as a pipeline for methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin and cocaine flowing to Alaska dealers and street users.
The disgraced Anchorage attorney, who prosecutors say consumed up to an ounce of methamphetamine per day to fuel his addiction, allegedly offered to help smuggle gang members out of Alaska.
Facey, who allegedly coerced sex acts from minors and clients of his legal service in Anchorage (pictured), allegedly told colleagues that cartel members 'literally threw a duffle bag from a moving vehicle onto my roof to hire me last week, and claimed he 'had to retrieve it with a ladder'
He also provided money laundering advice, and even requested the cartel's help in having someone shot after a personal dispute.
Federal prosecutors describe Facey as having 'consciously adopted the persona of a self-described cartel attorney' while being 'fueled by a spiraling addiction to methamphetamine and compulsive sexual misconduct.'
The documents revealed he 'fully committed to the bit, engaging in a crime spree threatening the safety of the community.'
'Having consciously adopted the persona of a self-described 'cartel attorney' and fueled by a spiraling addiction to methamphetamine and compulsive sexual misconduct, the defendant fully committed to the bit, engaging in a crime spree threatening the safety of the community and giving rise to serious concerns regarding his risk of flight following his apprehension,' prosecutors wrote in the memorandum obtained by Alaska Public Media.
The investigation revealed that Facey was in direct communication with Heraclio Sanchez-Rodriguez, the alleged leader of the trafficking organization.
'Exhibiting characteristically poor impulse control, the defendant couldn't help but brag about his newfound status as a 'cartel lawyer' to anyone in the Anchorage legal community who might listen,' the prosecutors wrote.
One woman described him as 'a drug addict, a pig, and a disgusting slob'
She claimed he had coerced her into sex acts as payment for his legal representation.
The woman told investigators that Facey 'maintained a drug premises, used methamphetamine, and maintained a young woman as a housekeeper who he paid with controlled substances for her services.'
'(The woman) described that the defendant maintained a drug premises, used methamphetamine, and maintained a young woman as a 'housekeeper' who he paid with controlled substances for her services,' prosecutors wrote in the memorandum.
She described his methamphetamine addiction as 'extreme' and said he consumed up to 'an ounce per day.'
The Alaska Bar Association suspended Facey from practicing law after numerous complaints in February.
He ended up turning to dealing drugs himself, 'primarily fentanyl to drug-dependent and vulnerable women,' according to prosecutors.
'In one particularly heartbreaking exchange in December 2024, the defendant urged a pregnant woman looking for work as a housecleaner to exchange sex for $80 and a small amount of methamphetamine, only to ultimately short-change the woman by $20,' prosecutors wrote in the memorandum.
