COLUMBUS, Ohio – In a devastating case of narcotics and human trafficking, Tyler N. Bourdo, a 30-year-old resident of Columbus, Ohio, has pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl and cocaine base that resulted in death, conspiring to commit sex trafficking, and conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances within 1,000 feet of an elementary school.
Bourdo’s plea agreement includes a recommended sentence of 20 to 25 years in prison. The guilty plea was entered in U.S. District Court before U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr., on March 13, 2024.
According to Bourdo’s plea agreement, on October 14, 2021, an individual was found deceased in an alley between Bourdo’s primary residence and a drug distribution house. The woman was found with a needle in her hand and another needle in her pocket and had been dead for approximately 18 hours.
Further investigation revealed that, on October 10, 2021, the woman had overdosed on crack cocaine and fentanyl at one of the organization’s drug houses that Bourdo supplied on North Warren. Witnesses on site immediately placed the woman in a bathtub and soaked her in cold water. The witnesses provided multiple rounds of Narcan, CPR, and chest compressions, eventually resuscitating her. The woman left and, over the next 48 hours, met up with Bourdo on more than one occasion to get and use more drugs.
Video surveillance of the alley shows Bourdo walking to the deceased woman’s body just moments before police personnel arrived to attempt (unsuccessfully) to obtain her phone to prevent further investigation into her death.
Bourdo admitted to coercing adult drug-addicted females into performing commercial sex acts by using violence as well as providing and then withholding or threatening to withhold narcotics and lodging. Coconspirators used residences on Racine, South Eureka, South Ogden, and North Ogden avenues, Vida Place, and Chestershire Road for the drug-addicted females to reside in.
Bourdo is one of five individuals from Central Ohio who have pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a narcotics conspiracy. The others include Priscilla L. Washington, Michael D. Burton, Gabriel R. Smith, and Brittany A. Williams.
This case is a stark reminder of the devastating impact of narcotics and human trafficking on communities. The multi-agency law enforcement task force that initially announced the case in July 2022 has worked tirelessly to bring those responsible to justice.
Related Federal Cases
- Lawrence E. Tipton, Cocaine Trafficking and Tax Evasion, Ohio, 2023 · Texas
- Maurice A. Stewart, Meth Trafficking, Ohio 2024 · Michigan
- Frederick A. McShan, Heroin Trafficking, Ohio 2024 · Texas
- Morales Cacique, Money Laundering, Florida 2016 · Washington
- Steven Al-Jay Hinds Sentenced to Decades for Narcotics Ring Leaders… · Virginia
Key Facts
- State: Ohio
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Human Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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