"Despite being locked away in Kern Valley State Prison, federal prosecutors say 37-year-old Thomas was able to control methamphetamine distribution not just in California but Hawaii, Oklahoma, Alabama and New Jersey. When the DEA launched a federal investigation in 2022, agents were able to identify the first of seven contraband cellphones Thomas allegedly possessed over the next several months, and secure wiretaps for six of them, court records show."
"In 2024, DEA agents and former associates of the Aryan Brotherhood laid out in stunning detail how the all-white prison gang was able to control multi-state methamphetamine and heroin rings from inside prisons across California. Earlier this year, four Nuestra Familia members were convicted of racketeering after a trial that spelled out how the Northern California-based prison gang kept meticulous records inside prison of drug debts owed by different "regiments," which were required to pay dues that were handled and re-distributed by an incarcerated gang accountant."
"In this case, Thomas was able to arrange drug deals out of state, organize smuggling inside Kern Valley State Prison, and arrange for large drug debts to be collected, according to federal prosecutors. Thomas' reputation as a gang member was well-established when in 2009, he shot and killed Dequawn Allen near 87th and Broadway streets in Los Angeles, simply because Allen answered Thomas' question about his own gang membership. Allen was part of the 94 Hoover"
Kristopher Thomas has been imprisoned since 2010 after receiving a 50-years-to-life sentence for killing a rival gang member. Federal prosecutors allege that from Kern Valley State Prison Thomas controlled meth distribution networks spanning California, Hawaii, Oklahoma, Alabama and New Jersey. A 2022 DEA investigation reportedly identified seven contraband cellphones Thomas allegedly possessed and secured wiretaps on six. Thomas allegedly arranged out-of-state drug deals, organized smuggling inside the prison, and coordinated collection of large drug debts. The case aligns with recent prosecutions showing prison gangs managing multi-state drug rings and keeping internal ledgers to track debts and dues.
Read at The Mercury News
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