INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis man has been sentenced after pleading guilty to possession with the intent to distribute cocaine.
Pierre Burnett III, 27, was sentenced Friday, March 29 to ten years in federal prison. According to court documents, on July 22, 2021, DEA agents and IMPD's Drug Task Force were conducting surveillance on a "known drug house" in Indianapolis.
Court documents say that around 3:45 p.m., Burnett left the house while carrying a trash bag containing what appeared to be brick-like objects. He then drove away in a red Dodge Ram pickup truck.
About 15 minutes later, an Indiana State Police trooper noticed Burnett and initiated a traffic stop. Burnett then fled at a high rate of speed as the ISP trooper initiated a pursuit.
The trooper eventually abandoned the pursuit after seeing Burnett have several near-misses while speeding through intersections.
According to court documents, Burnett then arrived at River Ridge Apartments in Indianapolis where he dumped the black trash bag and an orange backpack into nearby bushes.
Officers then searched the area and found the bags, which contained roughly six kilograms of cocaine as well as $71,500 in cash. However, Burnett was nowhere to be found.
DEA agents, ISP troopers and a K-9 officer then embarked on a search to locate Burnett. Once he was found, court documents show police found $2,000 in cash and three grams of fentanyl on his person. Police also found a loaded .45-caliber handgun inside his truck.
“The federal prison sentence imposed against this armed drug dealer demonstrates that there will be serious consequences for those who traffic in deadly drugs with utter disregard for human life,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Our federal prosecutors are committed to working closely with the DEA, Metro Drug Task Force, and Indiana State Police to take dealers off our streets because these poisons are ravaging our communities and loved ones.”
Following his release from prison, a federal judge ordered Burnett to serve an additional five years probation.
"Individuals like Mr. Burnett who are distributing multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine into our communities must be held accountable their actions,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge J. Michael Gannon.
