A federal jury has convicted a Dallas man on fentanyl distribution charges after prosecutors presented evidence linking him to more than 17,000 fentanyl pills seized in a single week.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas announced on Monday that 30-year-old Joshua Burton was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and distribution of fentanyl following a three-day federal trial.
Jurors returned the verdict on June 18 after approximately five hours of deliberations.
According to evidence presented during the trial, law enforcement officers seized roughly 17,000 fentanyl pills from Burton over the course of one week.
Prosecutors also introduced evidence showing Burton had been involved in fentanyl distribution for approximately three years. Investigators said information recovered from his cellphone revealed a history of narcotics trafficking activity in the Dallas area.
Federal authorities said the case highlights ongoing efforts to combat the spread of fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid that has been linked to overdose deaths nationwide.
United States Attorney Ryan Raybould said the conviction sends a message to drug traffickers operating in North Texas.
“This verdict should send a clear message to drug dealers that we will dismantle any effort to peddle deadly fentanyl in our community,” Raybould said in a statement.
“I want to thank our law enforcement partners for their dedicated collaboration in taking thousands of fentanyl pills off the streets of Dallas.”
Burton is scheduled to be sentenced on October 7 before U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade, who presided over the trial.
He faces a maximum sentence of life in federal prison.
The investigation was conducted by the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Garland Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Abby Policastro and Marissa Aulbaugh prosecuted the case.
