1 member of upstate drug ring pleads guilty; 3 other convicts

SPARTANBURG, SC (FOX Carolina) – The U.S. Department of Justice says three members of an upstate drug ring have been sentenced to federal prison and the fourth member has pleaded guilty.

Evidence presented in court showed that on January 18, 2023, Spartanburg County deputies stopped Rebecca Whitesides, 54, on I-85, searched her car and found nearly two kilograms of methamphetamine.

An investigation into her bank accounts revealed she helped others hide payments related to drug proceeds.

On February 22, 2023, Spartanburg County deputies were conducting surveillance at the home of 49-year-old Richard Brian Walker and observed the arrival and departure of 54-year-old Jeffrey Michael Wilson’s car. A traffic stop was conducted on Wilson and officers found more than 5,800 grams of methamphetamine and a semi-automatic pistol loaded with 19 rounds of ammunition, according to officials.

Authorities said he was responsible for trafficking 50 kilograms of methamphetamine with Walker. They also executed a search warrant at his home and warehouse. Investigators found more than 500 grams of methamphetamine and 85 grams of fentanyl, a loaded pistol, a rifle and an unmarked short-barreled AR-15-style rifle, commonly known as a “ghost gun.”

A month later, on March 24, 2023, Amanda Gail Tuck, 45, was arrested by Cherokee County deputies and found nearly a kilogram of methamphetamine in a U-Haul truck.

• Tuck was sentenced to almost 6 years in prison
• Whitsides was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but also pleaded guilty to money laundering.
• Walker was sentenced to 22.5 years. He also pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a short-barreled shotgun and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
• Wilson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He was convicted in a meth conspiracy case in 2000. He will be sentenced at a later date.

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