California Man Sentenced to Eight Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking

            Fort Smith, Arkansas - Kenneth Elser, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced that Gary Murl Beck, age 54, of Fallbrook, California, was sentenced today to 100 months in federal prison to run concurrent with any sentence in the state of California followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine. The Honorable Chief Judge P. K. Holmes, III presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fort Smith.

            According to court records, on September 29, 2015, Eureka Springs Police Department arrested co-conspirator, Jeffrey Vanroy, in Eureka Springs for possession of methamphetamine. The suspected substance was sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab where it was determined to be 52 grams of actual methamphetamine. Agents discovered during the investigation that the methamphetamine had originally been sent by FedEx to co-conspirator, Stephen Carufel, at his residence in Eureka Springs. Vanroy who was living with Carufel at the time took the package when it was delivered knowing it contained methamphetamine. Police were able to recover the FedEx packaging and found the sender listed as Gary Backe from Fallbrook, California; Gary Beck had used the name Gary Backe as an alias. California law enforcement identified the sender of the FedEx as Gary Murl Beck from Fallsbrook, California. They discovered 12 packages had been sent from Beck to Carufel between January 2015 to September 2015. Agents executed a search warrant on Beck’s residence on October 6, 2015 where they found over one pound of methamphetamine along with the receipt for one of the packages that Beck had shipped to Carufel. Agents retrieved messages between Beck and Carufel from Beck’s cell phone wherein they discussed what day and time the methamphetamine would arrive in Eureka Springs and how the payment for the methamphetamine was to be sent. A search warrant executed on Carufel’s residence produced MoneyGram receipts, cancelled personal checks, and wire transfers made out to Beck for the methamphetamine for the time period between April 2014 and October 2015. Beck was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 9, 2016 and pleaded guilty on October 25, 2016.

            Co-conspirator Stephen Carufel pleaded guilty to Aiding and Abetting Money Laundering and Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine on June 7, 2016. He was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison on October 27, 2016.

            Co-conspirator Jeffrey Vanroy pleaded guilty to Aiding and Abetting Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine on June 9, 2016 and was sentenced to 100 months in federal prison on November 9, 2016.

            Homeland Security Investigations assisted the Eureka Springs Police Department in the investigation of this case. Assistant United States Attorney Candace Taylor prosecuted the case for the United States.

* * * E N D * * *

Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website @ www.pacer.gov