Tacoma, WA – In a major blow to the Aryan prison gangs, two members of multi-state drug trafficking organizations have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms. Eric Smith, 54, of Tacoma, was sentenced to twelve years in prison, while Sara Thompson, 39, of Bonney Lake, Washington, received a seven-year sentence.
Smith and Thompson were arrested in connection with the investigation of drug trafficking organizations connected to the Aryan Family and Omerta prison gangs. According to records filed in the case, Eric Smith served as a trusted drug customer and redistributor for the leader of the criminal conspiracy, Jesse Bailey. Smith helped Bailey wash over 50 kilograms of methamphetamine to prepare it for distribution.
Smith carried and was caught with various firearms while engaged in the drug trade. On November 1, 2024, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Sara Thompson, on the other hand, pleaded guilty in August 2024 to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
Thompson is in a romantic relationship with the leader of the drug distribution cell, 39-year-old Yehoshua Kilp. Thompson served as Kilp’s proxy for major narcotics deals. Law enforcement raided the Airbnb she stayed at with Kilp immediately after one of these deals and seized nearly 45 kilograms of methamphetamine, and over 5 kilograms of fentanyl in powder and pill form.
The court heard that Smith and Thompson helped distribute hundreds of thousands of doses of potentially deadly fentanyl and methamphetamine. U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman stated, “Both of these defendants served as trusted coconspirators for the leaders of distribution cells identified in this case.”
Chief U.S. District Judge David G. Estudillo slammed the defendants, saying, “These drugs, particularly fentanyl, are creating a mess in our community. It creates people who can no longer function and leads to overdose and death.” The judge also noted, “The crime that’s associated with controlled substances, the violence that’s sometimes associated with it . . . It’s just a path of destruction for everybody around it. . . . These things have impact and there’s a reason why there’s significant consequences for this type of conduct.”
The investigation into the Aryan prison gangs led to the arrest of over two dozen individuals on federal charges on March 22, 2023. Law enforcement seized 177 firearms, more than ten kilos of methamphetamine, 11 kilos of fentanyl pills, and over $330,000 in cash from eighteen locations in Washington and Arizona.
Defendant/Respondent: Eric Smith
Criminal Charges: Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime
City and State: Tacoma, Washington
Exact Date: November 1, 2024
Sentence or Outcome: Twelve years in prison
Dollar Amounts: Over $330,000 in cash
Related Federal Cases
- Patrick Maldonado, Interstate Marijuana Trafficking, California 2023 · Kansas
- Rhonda Jeanette Lapier, Meth Trafficking, Montana 2022 · New York
- Wesner, Financial Manipulation, Florida 2023 · Maryland
- Christopher Frerichs, Meth and Gun Convictions, Iowa 2020 · New York
- Troy Rivetti, RICO Charges, Pennsylvania 2023 · Alabama
Key Facts
- State: Washington
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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