Memphis Man Sentenced to 22 Years of Federal Imprisonment for Drug Distribution and Possession of Firearms

Memphis, TN – A federal judge has sentenced Claibon Burrus, 51, of Memphis, to 260 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute drugs and possession of firearms. Reagan Fondren, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today.

According to the information presented in court, on January 19, 2021, detectives with the Memphis Police Department served a search warrant at a residence in Memphis, Tennessee pursuant to an overdose death investigation. They discovered that Burrus was in possession of large amounts of methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and marijuana. He was also in possession of multiple firearms. He admitted to officers he was engaging in drug distribution. Following Burrus’s arrest, he directed other individuals to move additional drugs and firearms from storage units he rented to avoid seizure by law enforcement.

In July 2024, Burrus pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. On March 25, 2025, United States District Judge John T. Fowlkes, Jr. sentenced Burrus to 260 months of federal imprisonment, to be followed by five years of supervised release.  There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was investigated by detectives with the Memphis Police Department Heroin/Opioid Response Team and Organized Crime Unit (OCU).

Acting United States Attorney Fondren thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Musselwhite and Greg Allen, who prosecuted this case, as well as the law enforcement partners who investigated the case.

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For more information, please contact the media relations team at USATNW.Media@usdoj.gov. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.