Burnell Heiges Emlet, III, Fentanyl Trafficking, Florida 2021

MIAMI, FL – A Vero Beach man, who was caught driving around town with fentanyl, a loaded semi-automatic firearm, and tens of thousands of dollars in cash, has been sentenced to 106 months in federal prison, according to court documents.

Burnell Heiges Emlet, III, 34, was arrested on February 23, 2020, after law enforcement officers found him slumped over the steering wheel of a car at a stop light.  Inside the car, officers discovered a loaded semi-automatic firearm with a large capacity magazine, as well as 76 pre-packed baggies of fentanyl.

Emlet was initially charged with state crimes and released on bond.  However, on May 22, 2020, he was arrested again during a traffic stop.  This time, officers found 1,700 prepackaged baggies of fentanyl and more than $55,000 in cash inside the car.  Emlet’s state bond was subsequently revoked.

In 2021, a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida charged Emlet with federal gun and drug trafficking crimes relating to the February 2020 arrest.  Emlet was ordered detained pre-trial, without bond.  On July 15, 2021, he pleaded guilty in federal district court to possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks imposed the sentence of 106 months in federal prison.  Acting U.S. Attorney Juan Antonio Gonzalez, La Verne J. Hibbert, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Miami Field Division, and Vero Beach Police Chief David E. Currey announced the sentence.

The DEA Miami and Vero Beach Police Department investigated the case, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Porter handling the prosecution.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 21-cr-14012.

Burnell Heiges Emlet, III, was found guilty of possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  He was sentenced to 106 months in federal prison.  The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks.

The case highlights the dangers of fentanyl trafficking and the importance of law enforcement’s efforts to combat it.  Emlet’s sentence serves as a reminder of the consequences of engaging in such activities.

Defendant: Burnell Heiges Emlet, III

Criminal Charges: Possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime

City and State: Vero Beach, Florida

Exact Date: February 23, 2020 (arrest), May 22, 2020 (second arrest), July 15, 2021 (guilty plea)

Sentence or Outcome: 106 months in federal prison

Dollar Amounts: $55,000 in cash found during the second arrest

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