Investigators followed the truck through Oregon and into California where they connected it to another vehicle associated with Hall, this one a Ford Explorer registered to Steilen, a traveling companion of Hall's.
Hall made three round trips into Mexico on consecutive days, Dec. 10, 11 and 12. Hall and Steilen then drove the Explorer from California to the Seattle suburb of Fife, where they put the vehicle on a barge bound for Alaska.
DEA agents executed a search warrant and found the meth in a trap door underneath the rear seat.
"The trap was set in a bench seat of a Ford Explorer underneath the third-row seat there was mechanism that lifted up and the methamphetamine was found underneath there," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Russo.
Agents removed the meth and allowed the vehicle to continue on to Anchorage, where it arrived on Monday having had the meth replaced with fakes and the trap door rigged with an alert system to tell agents when it was accessed.
That same day Hall and Steilen flew to Anchorage where they met up with Lisenby. On Tuesday Hall and Steilen collected the Explorer and led authorities back to Lisenby's residence and accessed the trap door.
Another search warrant was executed and authorities discovered 16 firearms, body armor, 3,000 rounds of ammunition and approximately four pounds of marijuana and other drug paraphernalia.
Later Tuesday investigators received information from a confidential source that the meth was bound for Reese.
A meeting was arranged and Reese was arrested at the Costco in East Anchorage after taking possession of the fake meth. A large amount of bulk currency was seized, which has yet to be counted.
Hall and Steilen are charged in federal court in Tacoma, Wash., with possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of meth. Reese and Lisenby are charged in Anchorage federal court with attempting to possess 500 grams or more with intent to distribute. Both charges carry penalties of 10 years to life in prison, a $4 million dollar fine and at least five years of supervised release.
Contact Channel 2 at news_desk@ktuu.com
