Two Men Sentenced for Roles in Drug Trafficking Organization

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA - Two men have been sentenced today for their leadership of a drug trafficking operation in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.

Dorian Scott Burks, age 29, of Jeannette, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 262 months in federal prison. John William Malcolm, 57, of Clarksburg, West Virginia, was sentenced to 300 months in prison.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Burks, also known as "Cash," and Malcolm worked with others to sell methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and cocaine base in Berkeley, Morgan, and Hampshire Counties. Burks would travel from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Clarksburg, West Virginia, and Bunker Hill, West Virginia, to deliver large quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine to other conspirators, including Malcolm, for resale in the Eastern Panhandle. During a traffic stop, officers found 333 grams of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in Malcolm's vehicle.

U.S. District Court Judge Gina M. Groh noted during sentencing that Burks was a dealer's dealer due to the substantial quantities of high-purity crystal methamphetamine. At the hearing, evidence was presented that Burks supplied over 32 pounds of crystal methamphetamine from January 2023 through July 2023.

Burks had firearms and maintained a property for drug distribution, something the judge took into consideration during sentencing. Malcolm is a career criminal, with a history that includes grand larceny, assault, drug trafficking, and firearms violations.

Burks and Malcolm will each serve five years of supervised release following their prison sentences.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.

The Potomac Highlands Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.