If you’re a fan of the long-running A&E show Deadliest Catch, there’s a good chance you’re familiar with Captain Elliott Neese, and his struggles with addiction. There was even an episode where he seemingly went AWOL, only for it later to be revealed he went to a bar. So what happened to him? Read on to find out.
Deadliest Catch has been on the air for 19 seasons. It follows the dangerous endeavors of crab fishing the Alaskan coast on the Bering Sea. It’s treacherous, very dangerous and insanely fun to watch. Neese was on the show for five seasons and he captained both the F/V Ramblin’ Rose and F/V Saga.
While he completed a drug rehabilitation program in 2017, he plead guilty in December of 2021 to “one count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.” The plea agreement comes from a raid on Neese’s house in 2019. In the raid, authorities found six ounces of heroin, a scale, guns, over $80,000 in cash and a money counting machine.
“After the search, Neese admitted to investigators in an interview that he is engaged in a large narcotics trafficking operation on the Kenai Peninsula and that he distributes primarily heroin throughout the area,” per the plea agreement. The whole thing started because Neese sold drugs to someone working for the police.
After signing the plea deal, he was released until sentencing and he was allowed to continue working boats as long as he didn’t leave the area. In May of 2022, he failed a drug screening but was only given a warning. He failed another drug test less than ten days later, this time for fentanyl.
Because of his frequent relapses, prosecutors ask that he remain in custody due to being a flight risk. A judge agreed. At his sentencing, prosecutors asked for him to be put away for 70 months (the minimum is 60). Neese’s lawyer asked for 60 months and probation. In the end he was sentenced to 30 months. Why so little? Apparently there is a sealed part of his plea bargain. The speculation is that he cooperated with authorities and was granted leniency for doing so.
Neese last appeared on the show in 2014 on Season 11. He later said he left the show for rehab. He’s been serving his 2.5 year sentence at Sheridan Federal Prison in Oregon and then FPC Duluth, in Minnesota. His scheduled date for release is July 7, 2024.