United States Drug Enforcement Administration

Tacoma – A 61-year-old Auburn, Washington, man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to twelve years in prison for his leadership role in a multi-state drug distribution ring announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Thomas Carver has a lengthy criminal history that includes multiple prior convictions related to drug trafficking. He served as the second-in-command to drug ringleader Jesse Bailey, a high-ranking member of the Aryan Family prison gang. The two were documented in multiple wiretapped phone calls discussing their distribution of hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine and hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills.  At the sentencing hearing Chief U.S. District Judge David G. Estudillo told Carver, “You are not a local dealer. You are someone who helped sell and distribute across the region… What is alarming are the references to these different flavored or colored pills now that are out there potentially in our streets. I do think their intent is to bring in new users…. as in younger individuals who can be easily swayed by these things.”

“We at the Drug Enforcement Administration and our partners work tirelessly to protect our community from people who sell drugs that harm and kill our citizens.  Repeat offenders like Thomas Carver richly deserve long prison terms, since it is clear that there is no other way to keep our communities safe from them.  Make no mistake:  If you deal drugs in Washington, our team will hold you accountable.” 

“The leaders of this drug ring spread so much misery throughout our area,” said U.S. Attorney Gorman. “Mr. Carver knows first-hand the nightmare of methamphetamine addiction, and yet he routinely brought 50 pounds of the drug to our community to distribute. He also delt in large amounts of fentanyl laced pills, a drug that has brought unprecedented numbers of overdose deaths to our community.”

According to records filed in the case, over a two-year investigation of the drug trafficking ring, agents seized an estimated 223 pounds of methamphetamine, an estimated 830,000 fentanyl pills, multiple-pound quantities of fentanyl powder, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana, $338,000 of suspected drug proceeds, and 48 firearms from members of the conspiracy. In addition, during the coordinated arrests of the DTO members in March 2023, law enforcement seized approximately 22 pounds of methamphetamine, 26 pounds of fentanyl in pill and powder form, six pounds of heroin, more than $330,000 of suspected drug proceeds, and 177 additional firearms. Four of those firearms were seized from the Auburn residence where Carver was arrested. Law enforcement found more than $43,000 in cash in the room where Carver slept.

On July 9,2024, Carver pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. He has been in custody at the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac since his arrest in March 2023.

Carver is the seventh member of the drug ring to be sentenced. Some defendants have received prison sentences of as much at 13 years in prison. Less culpable defendants have been sentenced to 20-50 months in prison. Drug ringleader Jesse James Bailey pleaded guilty last month and is scheduled for sentencing on February 28, 2025.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

This investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the FBI with critical investigative teamwork from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Washington State Department of Corrections and significant 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. Throughout this investigation the following agencies assisted the primary investigators: Washington State Patrol, Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine, Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, Lakewood Police Department, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).

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