Pierce County woman sentenced to 7 years for role in Aryan prison gang-linked drug ring

A Pierce County woman who played a key role in a violent drug trafficking ring connected to Aryan prison gangs was sentenced Friday to seven years in federal prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced.

C’La Morales, 39, received a total of 84 months behind bars—24 months for one count of drug trafficking, followed by 60 months for firearms possession. She will also serve five years of supervised release.

U.S. District Court Judge David Estudillo handed down the sentence.

“You took on the responsibility to distribute large quantities of controlled substances,” Estudillo said. “You had to know those were going to… lead to addiction and wreak havoc for those individuals and their families, friends, and loved ones.”

What were the allegations?

According to prosecutors, Morales was a “high-level drug redistributor” in a South Sound drug trafficking ring linked to white supremacist prison gangs operating inside and outside Washington state correctional facilities. She worked closely with Jesse Bailey, the ringleader of one of three interrelated criminal organizations dismantled by law enforcement. Bailey, of Renton, has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking, firearms, and money laundering charges and was sentenced to 13 years in prison.

Wiretap evidence revealed Morales was regularly purchasing and redistributing large quantities of fentanyl pills and heroin—sometimes up to 10,000 fentanyl pills and 10 ounces of heroin at a time.

“Morales was well aware of the significant fire power Jesse Bailey kept to protect his drug trafficking activities including fully automatic weapons,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a press release.

When agents searched Morales’ storage locker and vehicle, they recovered more than 5,800 fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills made to look like prescription oxycodone, 480 grams of heroin, and a loaded Mossberg shotgun with multiple boxes of 12-gauge ammunition. Authorities also found $5,183 in drug proceeds and two additional pistols with loaded magazines stashed in a lockbox inside her car, on the floorboard between the driver’s and passenger seats.

Criminal history

Prosecutors noted Morales’ extensive criminal history, including a 2019 conviction for drug trafficking while armed. She was actively evading the Pierce County drug court program when she committed the new federal crimes.

“Morales is not new to drug trafficking while armed with firearms. In 2019 she was arrested for drug trafficking while armed with a firearm that eventually resulted in convictions for unlawful possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute and unlawful possession of a firearm. Morales committed the current charges while on warrant status for the Pierce County drug court program. Thus, despite her clear drug addiction and need for treatment, it is difficult to trust that she will maintain compliance with treatment and not return to trafficking controlled substances,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office write to the court.

Morales’ case is part of a sweeping federal investigation into Aryan gang-linked drug operations in Washington and Arizona. On March 22, 2023, authorities executed a coordinated takedown involving 10 SWAT teams and more than 350 officers. That effort led to 24 federal arrests and the seizure of 177 firearms, over 25 kilos of narcotics—including fentanyl, meth, and heroin—and nearly $330,000 in cash. Earlier seizures connected to the case included 830,000 fentanyl pills and 223 pounds of methamphetamine.

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