Two Eastern Panhandle Drug Kingpins Sentenced For Drug Trafficking
Thursday, January 16, 2025, 11:00 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
MARTINSBURG, W.VA.- On Wednesday, a Pennsylvania man and a West Virginia man learned they would be potentially spending the majority of their lives in federal prison after they were sentenced to decades in prison for their leadership positions in a drug trafficking organization that operated throughout the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.
On Wednesday, January 15, 2025, Dorian Scott Burks, 29, of Jeannette, Pennsylvania, and John William Malcolm, 57, of Clarksburg, West Virginia, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia and were sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Gina M. Groh to federal prison for their convictions on federal Drug Trafficking violations.
On Wednesday, Judge Groh sentenced Burks to 262 months in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. Judge Groh sentenced Malcolm to 300 months in federal prison, as well as five years of supervised release.
According To The U.S. Attorney’s Office
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and documents filed with the District Court, Burks, also known as “Cash,” and Malcolm worked with others to distribute and sell methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine throughout Berkeley, Morgan, Hampshire Counties in the Northern District of West Virginia.
Burks Would Transport Drugs From Pittsburgh To West Virginia
Burks would travel from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Clarksburg, West Virginia, and Bunker Hill, West Virginia, to deliver large amounts of methamphetamine and cocaine to others in the organization, including Malcolm, for repackaging and resale in the Eastern Panhandle.
During a traffic stop, Police Officers found and seized 333 grams of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in Malcolm’s motor vehicle.
During Wednesday’s sentencing hearing, Judge Groh noted that Burks was a dealer’s dealer due to kilogram quantities of high-purity crystal methamphetamine. The court was presented with evidence that Burks distributed more than 32 pounds of crystal methamphetamine from January 2023 through July 2023.
Burks possessed multiple firearms in furtherance of his drug trafficking organization and maintained a property for drug distribution, something Judge Groh took into consideration during sentencing. Malcolm is a career criminal with convictions for grand larceny, assault, drug trafficking, and firearms violations.
