Morgantown man admits to his role in a drug trafficking operation

CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Kenneth Burns, of Morgantown, West Virginia, has admitted to his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy, Acting United States Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.

Burns, 34, pled guilty to one count of “Unlawful Use of Communication Facility.” Burns admitted to using a phone to help sell fentanyl, cocaine base, and heroin in March 2020 in Monongalia County.

Burns faces not more than four years of incarceration and a fine of not more than to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Mon Metro Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, and the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office investigated.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. 

U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.

Related press release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/seventeen-people-charged-heroin-and-crack-cocaine-distribution-operation