Daniel Scott Burgess, 39, of West Columbia, was sentenced to 6.5 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute over 40 grams of fentanyl.

Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that between November 10, 2018, and September 5, 2021, law enforcement from various jurisdictions in Richland, Lexington, and Berkeley Counties arrested Burgess different times for various drug and firearm offenses.

Thereafter, federal agents and officers assigned to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Atlanta-Carolinas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program (ACHIDTA) Task Force in Columbia worked in conjunction with local law enforcement to adopt Burgess’ pending state cases for federal prosecution.

United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Burgess to 78 months in prison, to be followed by a 4-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.

The DEA ACHIDTA Task Force in Columbia is comprised of agents and officers from the DEA, United States Postal Inspection Service, Richland County Sheriff’s Department, Kershaw County Sheriff’s Department, Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, Department of Public Safety for the City of Orangeburg, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. The local law enforcement agencies involved in this case include the Town of South Congaree Police Department, Cayce Department of Public Safety, Springdale Police Department, Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, Lexington County Multi-Agency Narcotics Enforcement Team, Lexington County Fugitive Task Force, Springdale Police Department, Summerville Police Department, West Columbia Police Department, and Richland County Sheriff’s Department. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Bales is prosecuting the case.

This prosecution is part of a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program (HIDTA) investigation. HIDTA is a grant program purposed with improving public safety and well-being by disrupting and dismantling drug trafficking and money laundering organizations through intelligence-driven multi-jurisdictional operations; enhancing the safety and effectiveness of law enforcement operations through training; and improving communication and information sharing among criminal justice, drug prevention, and drug treatment professionals in support of the objectives as administered by the Office of National Drug Control Policy. Additional information can be found at https://www.achidta.org/, https://www.dea.gov/operations/hidta, and https://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/.