FRESNO- On June 16, 2020, Tommie Thomas, 37, of Bakersfield, was sentenced to 20 years and six months in prison for distribution of methamphetamine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

According to court documents, on Dec. 14, 2017, after a 10-month investigation, more than 35 members and associates of the West Side Crips, a local criminal street gang, were arrested on federal and state charges including burglary, illegal gun possession, drug sales, and murder.

On April 4, 2019, a second superseding indictment charged Thomas, a West Side Crip member also known as “Tapp,” and co-conspirators with drug trafficking offenses. Since the December 2017 arrests, all defendants in federal custody have either been convicted of or have pleaded guilty to charged offenses.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the California Department of Justice, the Bakersfield Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

“Kudos to the law enforcement officers who conducted this investigation and saw it through prosecution,” said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) President Alan Barcelona.   “These investigations can be very dangerous but lead to more peaceful living in communities impacted by gang violence and crime.”