Two Anchorage residents were arrested following a federal grand jury indictment that charges them with conspiring to maintain a drug-involved premise at the Chelsea Inn Hotel (CIH) in Anchorage.
U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska, Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office, and Anchorage Police Chief Sean Case announced the arrests during a press conference held at the James M. Fitzgerald U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building, joined by Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal John Olson.
According to court documents, Kyoung Seo, 62, an owner of the CIH, and Chantel Fields, 36, allegedly conspired from October 2020 onward to keep the hotel as a place for distributing and using controlled substances. Authorities allege that Fields used the hotel to store and distribute drugs, directed buyers to dealers residing on site, and controlled access to visitors by enforcing a $20 “door fee.”
The FBI and Anchorage Police Department began investigating after reports surfaced about drug trafficking involving people living or working at the hotel as well as frequent visitors. Since 2020, law enforcement has carried out several enforcement actions at CIH; one search warrant executed in February 2025 resulted in the seizure of nine firearms, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and over 1.2 kilograms of suspected controlled substances.
Records from APD indicate there have been more than 1,000 emergency calls for service to CIH since 2020. Many calls related to violent crime, domestic disputes, drug crimes—including homicides—and fatal or non-fatal overdoses.
On August 22, law enforcement executed search warrants at three locations: CIH and two residences. During these searches they found and seized 11 firearms (including two behind the front desk), thousands of rounds of ammunition, large quantities of suspected controlled substances, and about $45,000 in cash.
On Friday, the FBI also executed a seizure warrant for CIH property; U.S. Marshals Service took custody of the building which ended alleged drug trafficking activity at that location.
Seo and Fields are charged with one count of conspiracy to maintain a drug-involved premises. They are scheduled for initial court appearances before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Alaska at a later date. If convicted they could face up to 20 years in prison; sentencing would be determined by a federal judge considering guidelines and statutory factors.
The case is being investigated by multiple agencies including the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force—comprising agents from IRS Criminal Investigation Division, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Marshals Service, APD High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Unit (HIDTA), U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms & Explosives (ATF), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and Alaska State Troopers.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cody Tirpak and Seth Beausang are prosecuting this case.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline), an initiative led by the Department of Justice aiming to combat illegal immigration and dismantle cartels as well as transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime and drug trafficking through coordinated efforts like OCDETFs and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
“An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
