Man pleads guilty to role in drug trafficking ring in West Virginia

BECKLEY, W.Va. (WVVA) – The Department of Justice announced that a 32-year-old Beckley man has pleaded guilty for his role in a drug trafficking organization.

According to court documents and affidavits, in April 2024, 32-year-old Demetrius Terrell Burns received fentanyl from a supplier that he used to supply Tilford Joe Bradley Jr., a co-defendant. Burns admitted that he told Bradley over the phone that he had received a shipment of “raw” fentanyl and that he offered to sell Bradley $1,800 worth of fentanyl.

The Justice Department said both men talked about adding a cutting agent to the fentanyl to make a bigger profit when it was sold.

The Justice Department said Burns plead guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine base.

Burns is expected to be sentenced on February 14, 2025, and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a $1 million fine.