Two local business owners accused of running a large drug operation out of their store and home have pleaded not guilty.

Tam Nguyen, age 46, and Thu McConnell, 45, operated the Dutch Harbor Asia shop for several years. They were arrested in May after police traced an alleged heroin sale to the store.

An Anchorage grand jury indicted Nguyen and McConnell on July 9. Nguyen is facing a dozen felony charges for allegedly using the business -- and the house he shared with McConnell on Biorka Drive -- to sell cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, and Oxycodone. 

McConnell is accused of acting as a principle or accomplice on all counts except for one. It's related to possession of a firearm that police found in Nguyen's bedroom.

Bail for Nguyen and McConnell is set at $150,000 each. They called in from jail to enter their pleas during a hearing Thursday morning.

Superior Court Judge Steve Cole tentatively scheduled their trial for the week of November 3. Cole said the court has not determined which judge will preside, but Nguyen and McConnell will be tried together.

Related stories:

"Police Search at Dutch Harbor Asia Yields Hard Drugs" (May 28, 2014)

"Drug Stockpile Recovered from Local Home" (May 30, 2014)