Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

HAMMOND Ind.- Yesterday, Gary Burnett, 62 years old, of Gary, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Senior Judge Jon E. DeGuilio after pleading guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.

Burnett was sentenced to 60 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release.

According to documents in the case, in April 2021, law enforcement purchased cocaine from Burnett. Later, during the execution of a search warrant conducted on his residence, law enforcement recovered 5 grams of heroin, 44.6 grams of cocaine, 22 grams of methamphetamine, a drug ledger as well as a .223 rifle with an extended magazine and multiple handguns.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Indiana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Task Force. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Caitlin M. Padula.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results.

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