Pierce County man tied to white supremacist gang pleads guilty to drug trafficking

Two men who federal prosecutors described as high-level members of a drug ring associated with a white supremacist prison gang pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to drug and gun crimes.

Gregory Beers, 31 of Edgewood, and Ronald McComb, 59 of Ridgefield, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington announced in a news release. Beers also pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. McComb additionally pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Prosecutors and the defendants’ attorneys agreed to recommend 12-and-a-half years in prison for Beers and 13 years in prison for McComb. They are expected to be sentenced before Chief Judge David Estudillo in September.

The men were among 27 indicted in March last year who were tied to Aryan prison gangs and Mexican cartels. A number of the defendants had connections to Pierce County. Beers and two others were still wanted by authorities when federal and local officials announced the conclusion of an investigation into the drug-trafficking conspiracy.

Beers managed to elude authorities March 22, 2023 when law enforcement tried to execute a search warrant for his arrest at a residence where he was staying in Edgewood, according to a copy of his plea agreement. That week, authorities were serving search and arrest warrants in 18 locations in Washington and Arizona.

When police tried to arrest Beers, prosecutors said, he tossed a loaded pistol and then jumped a fence into a neighbor’s yard. Inside the residence, law enforcement found two firearms and bullet-proof vests. In his car, police found seven more guns and additional bullet-proof vests. Police also recovered illegal drugs, cash and drug ledgers.

Beers was arrested April 11 when he was found living in an RV parked at a Tacoma home. Police found more guns in the trailer and $7,271, according to court records. Law enforcement also seized six pieces of jewelry worth more than $35,000, including a 14-karat gold “Miami Cuban” link chain, a diamond bracelet and a gold ring.

Prosecutors said Beers admitted in his plea agreement that he sent video messages to inmates in the state Department of Corrections showing off multiple high-powered firearms and large amounts of cash and gold he earned through drug trafficking. The plea agreement detailed multiple calls in which Beers discussed his drug trafficking involving tens of thousands of fentanyl pills and multi-pound quantities of methamphetamine.

McComb acknowledged in his plea agreement multiple recorded phone calls with co-conspirators, according to prosecutors. In the calls, McComb discussed his drug-trafficking activity and the creation of a distribution network to move fentanyl pills to Alaska.

He further admitted to possessing large amounts of heroin and a 9 mm handgun that was seized from his vehicle after a traffic stop in February 2022, prosecutors said. He was later arrested March 22, 2023.