Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

EL PASO – Today a federal grand jury in El Paso returned an indictment charging an El Paso man with trafficking in drugs and illegal possession of firearms.

According to court documents, Daniel Lee Burmeister, 36, was arrested on October 6, 2021, after a search warrant was executed at a residence where Burmeister was staying. During the search, law enforcement officers found multiple firearms and fentanyl pills.

Burmeister is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl; one count of possession of an unregistered firearm; one count of possession of a firearm not identified by a serial number; one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The defendant is scheduled for an arraignment next week.  If convicted, Burmeister faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and up to a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison on the drug charge; a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on each of the charges of unregistered firearm, firearm unidentified by serial number, and felon in possession of a firearm; and a mandatory minimum of five years in prison on possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff of the Western District of Texas; FBI Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey R. Downey; and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey C. Boshek II, Dallas Division, made the announcement.

The FBI and ATF are investigating the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Mallory Rasmussen is prosecuting the case.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

###