ANCHORAGE, Alaska — After nearly five years of investigation, federal authorities have seized the Chelsea Inn Hotel, a notorious 40-room motel located at 3836 Spenard Road, and charged its owner and manager with operating a drug-involved premises.
The escalating drug use and violence at the Chelsea Inn fueled daily criminal activity, alarming neighbors and affecting nearby residential streets and businesses.
The Alaska U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that owner Kyoung Soo Seo, 62, and hotel manager Chantel Lynn Fields, 36, face conspiracy charges for maintaining a drug haven where dealers lived and sold fentanyl to addicted individuals.
The property has witnessed multiple violent incidents since 2020, including the deaths of three people, one being Fields’ father. Law enforcement agencies carried out a high-profile drug raid on the motel just days before the seizure.
“The Chelsea Inn Hotel, with its 40 rooms, represents the largest hotel seizure in recent Alaska history,” said FBI Anchorage Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day during a Monday briefing.
The investigation involved the FBI, Anchorage Police Department, and other law enforcement partners. Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance praised their cooperation and acknowledged outreach teams assisting displaced individuals with treatment and shelter resources.
Between 2020 and 2025, Anchorage police responded to the Chelsea Inn more than 1,200 times, including numerous calls for assaults, disturbances, and warrants.
As of Monday, the hotel has been shuttered. A “Property of United States Marshals Service” sign was posted on the door, which was secured with a lockbox and boarded windows. A private security guard now patrols the premises. The seizure notice cites “civil and criminal forfeiture,” indicating the government’s intent to claim the property linked to criminal activity.
