Demetrius Terrell Burns, a 32-year-old resident of Beckley, was sentenced to 10 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Burns was convicted for participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine base, commonly referred to as "crack," across Beckley and the Southern District of West Virginia.
Court documents reveal that Burns, in April 2024, received fentanyl from a supplier in Beckley. This supply was used to provide drugs to co-defendant Tilford Joe Bradley Jr. Burns confessed that on April 12, 2024, he informed Bradley by phone about a fentanyl shipment and offered $1,800 worth of the drug. They discussed adding a cutting agent to increase profits from its sale. Burns acknowledged his awareness that Bradley aimed to redistribute these drugs within the area.
Burns and Bradley were among 12 individuals indicted for allegedly conspiring to distribute drugs in the Southern District of West Virginia between June 2023 and May 2024. All defendants have pleaded guilty, with two agreeing to separate charges instead of those in the indictment.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston praised the efforts of the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit for their role in the investigation. This unit includes officers from the West Virginia State Police, Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department, and Beckley Police Department.
The sentence was imposed by Chief United States District Judge Frank W. Volk, and the case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell.
The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), established in 1982 to target major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. The program aligns federal, state, and local resources to address threats to public safety, economic, or national security.
For more information, related court documents can be accessed through PACER by referencing Case No. 5:24-cr-90.