Beckley Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Drug Trafficking Organization

BECKLEY, W.Va. - Demetrius Terrell Burns, 32, of Beckley, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine base. Burns admitted to his role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that distributed methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine base, also known as "crack," in Beckley and elsewhere within the Southern District of West Virginia.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in April 2024 Burns received fentanyl from a supplier in Beckley that he used to supply Tilford Joe Bradley Jr., a co-defendant. Burns admitted that on April 12, 2024, he told Bradley by phone that he had received a shipment of "raw" fentanyl. Burns further admitted that he offered to sell Bradley $1,800 worth of raw fentanyl, and they discussed adding cutting agent to the fentanyl to make a larger profit when it was sold. Burns also admitted that he knew Bradley intended to redistribute these drugs in and around the Southern District of West Virginia.

Burns is scheduled to be sentenced on February 14, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.

Burns is among 12 individuals indicted on charges alleging the defendants conspired to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and crack within the Southern District of West Virginia from in or about June 2023 to in or about May 2024. Burns is also among four defendants who have pleaded guilty. The charges against Bradley and the other defendants are pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit, which consists of officers from the West Virginia State Police, the Raleigh County Sheriff's Department, and the Beckley Police Department.

United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell is prosecuting the case.

The investigation was part of the Department of Justice's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice's drug reduction strategy. OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-cr-90.

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