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Tampa, FL – On Tuesday, April 21, 2021, U.S. District Judge William Jung handed down a harsh 20-year prison sentence to David Burkes, a 52-year-old resident of Safety Harbor, Florida.
Burkes pleaded guilty to distributing narcotics, resulting in death to one individual and seriously bodily injury to another.
According to the plea agreement, Burkes had been distributing fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl to two individuals, J.B. and B.G., between August 12 and 14, 2019. Both individuals snorted the substance, lost control of their vehicle, and overdosed in a parking lot. Medical personnel responded to the scene and successfully revived B.G. The second individual, J.B., died.
Following the fatal overdose, Burkes continued to distribute narcotics to undercover officers between August 13 and 15, 2019. The substances he distributed to the officers tested positive for fentanyl.
Burkes was arrested by deputies from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office on August 25, 2019. The following day, agents executed a federal search warrant on Burkes’ residence and car, recovering methamphetamines, fentanyl, cocaine, and items used for packaging and distributing narcotics.
The Medical Examiner’s Office for Pasco and Pinellas Counties determined that the deceased individual’s cause of death was fentanyl toxicity.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes, as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation.
The OCDETF Program identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Burkes’ 20-year prison sentence is a testament to the ongoing efforts of law enforcement agencies to combat the opioid crisis and hold accountable those responsible for distributing deadly narcotics.
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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