A federal judge has handed down a 14-year prison sentence to a significant figure in a drug trafficking network connected to the white supremacist prison gang, the Aryan Brotherhood, following a major crackdown on their operations in the western United States.
The sentencing of Michael Slocumb, 46, occurred this week at a U.S. district court. He was arrested in Arizona in March 2023 as part of a coordinated effort to dismantle the gang’s drug activities in both Washington state and Arizona. Officials characterized Slocumb as a central player in a ring that distributed large quantities of fentanyl pills, methamphetamine, and heroin.
The investigation leading to his arrest was triggered by a 2022 raid on a stash house in Shelton, Washington. During that operation, law enforcement discovered over 640,000 fentanyl-laced pills, a kilogram of powdered fentanyl, and 12 kilograms of methamphetamine, in addition to more than $81,000 in cash. Authorities also seized 23 firearms from the location.
According to court documents, Slocumb routinely traveled to Arizona to collect narcotics and bring them back to the Shelton property. There, he operated two pill presses to manufacture the fentanyl tablets. He was taken into custody in 2023 alongside the ringleader, Bryson Gill, during a sweep that involved ten SWAT teams. At the time of his arrest, investigators noted that Slocumb was surveilling a rival drug dealer’s apartment, allegedly planning a kidnapping.
A subsequent search of Slocumb’s property in Arizona yielded an additional 70 firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition. He pleaded guilty in November 2024 to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in connection with drug trafficking.
Gill, who pleaded guilty in February to similar charges plus conspiracy to commit money laundering, is scheduled for sentencing on May 9, 2025.