California Meth Kingpin Beck Gets 8 Years

FORT SMITH, AR – A California man is headed to federal prison for his role in a methamphetamine trafficking operation that stretched from the West Coast to the Ozark Mountains. Gary Murl Beck, 54, of Fallbrook, California, received a 100-month sentence today, to run concurrent with any California sentence, followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine.

The case began to unravel on September 29, 2015, when Eureka Springs Police Department officers arrested Jeffrey Vanroy for possession of 52 grams of methamphetamine. The substance traced back to a FedEx package originally shipped from Gary Beck – using the alias “Gary Backe” – to Stephen Carufel in Eureka Springs. Vanroy, living with Carufel at the time, knowingly accepted the package. Investigators quickly connected Beck to a pattern of drug shipments: twelve packages sent to Carufel between January and September 2015.

A search of Beck’s California residence on October 6, 2015, yielded over one pound of methamphetamine and a receipt for one of the packages sent to Carufel. Crucially, agents recovered text messages between Beck and Carufel discussing delivery schedules and payment arrangements for the drugs. The messages laid bare the operation’s mechanics. Simultaneously, a search of Carufel’s home uncovered MoneyGram receipts, cancelled checks, and wire transfers proving payments were made to Beck between April 2014 and October 2015 – a clear paper trail of illicit profits.

Beck was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 9, 2016, and entered a guilty plea on October 25, 2016. He wasn’t acting alone. Co-conspirator Stephen Carufel previously pleaded guilty to Aiding and Abetting Money Laundering and Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine on June 7, 2016, and was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison on October 27, 2016. Jeffrey Vanroy also pleaded guilty to Aiding and Abetting Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine on June 9, 2016, and received a 100-month sentence on November 9, 2016.

“This case demonstrates the reach of drug trafficking operations and the dedication of law enforcement to dismantle them, no matter the distance,” said United States Attorney Kenneth Elser. The investigation was a collaborative effort between Homeland Security Investigations and the Eureka Springs Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Candace Taylor led the prosecution.

The Honorable Chief Judge P. K. Holmes, III presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fort Smith. Court records and further information can be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website at www.pacer.gov. This bust sends a message: crossing state lines won’t shield you from federal justice when you’re peddling poison.