Meth Kingpin Ronaldo McComb, Co-Conspirator Beers Plead Guilty

A pair of high-ranking members of a notorious Aryan prison gang-linked drug distribution organization have pleaded guilty to federal charges in a sting operation that saw authorities seize hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and gold.

Tacoma – U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman announced that Ronaldo McComb, 59, of Ridgefield, Washington, and Gregory Beers, 31, of Edgewood, Washington, will be sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge David G. Estudillo in September 2024 for their roles in a massive drug trafficking operation.

McComb pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and felon in possession of a firearm, with prosecutors recommending a 13-year prison sentence. The 59-year-old admitted to possessing large quantities of heroin, a 9mm handgun, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and gold bars, which will be forfeited as proceeds of his drug trafficking activities.

According to court documents, McComb was prohibited from possessing firearms due to his felony convictions for assault and robbery in Clark County and another assault conviction in Cowlitz County. His plea agreement detailed multiple recorded phone calls with coconspirators in which he discussed his drug trafficking activities involving distribution of multi-pound quantities of methamphetamine and tens of thousands of fentanyl pills.

Beers, on the other hand, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, with prosecutors recommending a 12.5-year prison sentence. The 31-year-old admitted to sending video messages to inmates in the Washington State Department of Corrections showing multiple high-powered firearms in his possession and large quantities of cash and gold he earned through his drug trafficking.

When police attempted to arrest Beers on the day of the takedown, he tossed a loaded pistol and fled over a neighbor’s fence. Authorities found two firearms in his residence and seven more in his car along with illegal drugs, cash, and drug ledgers. Ultimately Beers was arrested living in an RV in Tacoma, armed with guns and possessing large quantities of cash and expensive jewelry that he admitted as part of the plea agreement were proceeds from his drug trafficking.

The investigation into McComb and Beers was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation, which uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach to target high-level drug traffickers and dismantle their networks.

Law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation included the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Washington State Department of Corrections, and local assistance from the Tacoma Police Department, Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, and the Thurston County Narcotics Task Force, led by the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office.