Pierce County man busted with pound of meth, nearly 60 guns found guilty in federal court

A Pierce County drug dealer who was busted with a pound of methamphetamine and more than 50 firearms was found guilty Thursday on multiple charges in U.S. District Court in Tacoma.

Jurors found Gerald Claude Carlson, 57, guilty of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime after two hours of deliberations, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.

Carlson faces at least 15 years in federal prison for the crimes, and could face life in prison on either count. He is expected to be sentenced April 20.

Carlson was originally charged in Pierce County Superior Court before the case was moved to federal court. His girlfriend, Linda Jean Pospisil, 56, pleaded guilty in November in Superior Court to second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and unlawful use of a building for drug purposes. She received two years of community custody for the crimes.

Carlson had been dealing methamphetamine from his Summit-area home for at least four years when Pierce County sheriff’s deputies conducted an undercover buy from him in May 2016, according to charging documents.

Deputies later served a search warrant at his property, documents say, and found more than a pound of methamphetamine, $34,000 in cash, nearly 60 firearms, hundreds of pounds of ammunition, three grenade-launcher munitions and ignition systems for claymore mines.

This story was originally published January 25, 2018 at 5:23 PM with the headline "Pierce County man busted with pound of meth, nearly 60 guns found guilty in federal court."