Friday, March 10, 2000
Four convicted on drug charges
Leader called cocaine kingpin
BY SUSAN VELA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COVINGTON — The man described as Northern Kentucky's biggest drug dealer faces up to six decades behind bars after a U.S. District Court jury found him guilty Thursday of several drug-related charges.
Antonio Burns, 24, of Mount Airy, was convicted of being the “organizer, supervisor and manager” of a major drug-dealing enterprise that sold 20 kilograms (44 pounds) of crack cocaine in Campbell and Kenton counties between November 1997 and January 1999.
Each kilogram was estimated to have a street value worth at least $20,000.
On Thursday, the federal jury specifically found Mr. Burns guilty of conspiracy, engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, talking on the phone for the purpose of buying crack, attempting to possess crack with the intent to sell it, and attempting to influence testimony.
He will be sentenced June 12.
Mr. Burns' trial entailed several days of testimony. Witnesses included those who said they had bought cocaine from Mr. Burns.
They also said he was a major dealer who used a West Covington residence to cut up and package crack cocaine.
Anthony Harden, 43, Jerome Harden, 18, and Michael Jordan, 20, also were convicted Thursday of drug-related charges stemming from involvement with Mr. Burns. The men, all from the Cincinnati area, now face from 10 to 20 years in prison.
They will be sentenced June 12 along with Mr. Burns. All four men are related.
At the trial, Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Voorhees said Mr. Burns' co-defendants often drove him around and helped deliver drugs to customers, who, in turn, would sell the drugs to their own customers.
Mr. Burns “flashed thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars,” wore nice clothes and “was living the nice life” during his heyday, she said.
Ken Rylee of Covington represented Mr. Burns. He urged jury members to take notice that many of the prosecution's witnesses had been arrested on drug-related charges before they agreed to help law enforcers build a case against Mr. Burns.
Investigators offered “get-out-of-jail-free cards” to these witnesses, he said in opening statements.
“Everyone had a reason to save their own skin,” Mr. Rylee said.
Northern Kentucky's Safe Streets Task Force — a unit made up of FBI agents, Covington and Newport police officers, Kentucky State Police troopers, and deputes from the Kenton County Sheriff's Department — conducted the investigation. It lasted more than a year.
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