Former Jay-Z business associate and Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder Kareem “Biggs” Burke is headed to jail for over 48 months on a drug trafficking conviction.
The troubled rap executive received a five-year jail sentence on Monday (June 4).
AN EX-PAL of rapper Jay-Z was sentenced Monday to five years in prison for conspiring to distribute more than 100 kilos of marijuana. Kareem (Biggs) Burke, 38, was snared in a federal drug sting called “Operation Green Venom,” which targeted a trafficking ring that controlled most of the wholesale pot market in the city. More than 50 people were arrested. Burke told Manhattan Federal Court Judge Loretta Swain that she would never see him again in court. “Nothing personal, but I’m going to keep you to that promise,” Swain said. Burke co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records with Jay-Z and Damon Dash in the 1990s. The trio parted ways in 2004. (New York Daily News)
Back in March, Burke pleaded guilty in the drug trafficking case.
A former Jay-Z business partner who invested in Roc-A-Fella Records pleaded guilty Thursday to participating in a massive marijuana trafficking ring, federal prosecutors said. Kareem (Biggs) Burke, 38, faces five to six years in prison during his sentencing May 18 for conspiring to distribute more than 100 kilos of marijuana, said Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara. Under the plea deal, Burke agreed to forfeit cash, his house and a BMW, Bharara said. (New York Daily News)
Biggs initially faced up to 40 years in jail for the high profile case.
Burke pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, more than 100 kilograms of marijuana, in connection with his participation in a massive pot trafficking ring. As a result of the plea, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 40 years in prison when he is sentenced May 18. (North Jersey)
Biggs and over 40 other individuals were arrested in October 2010 on the drug trafficking charges.
Kareem Burke, also known as Biggs, was arrested at his home in Bergen, New Jersey, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers said. Another 44 people have been arrested and charged with drug trafficking, while five remain at large, prosecutors said in a statement. Among the 45 arrested was Matthew Stang, a writer and advertising representative for High Times, a New York-based marijuana advocacy magazine. All 50 people charged face a maximum sentence of life in prison. (ABC News)
