Alaska Pilot May Face $1-Million Fine For Transporting Beer

FAIRBANKS, Alaska — A 70-year-old Fairbanks pilot faces a potential $1 million fine and jail time after he was convicted of turning a blind eye to 7 gallons of beer carried in his Cessna 206 on a trip to a “dry” community in northwestern Alaska. 

A six-member jury returned the guilty verdict Friday against both Ken Jouppi and his business, KenAir, for misdemeanor alcohol importation, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported. 

Prosecutors said during the trial that Jouppi’s actions amount to willful ignorance of the community alcohol ban. Some of the beer was in a bag.
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