Comment on Cedar Rapids man faces at least 25 years for drugs and firearms

CEDAR RAPIDS — A Cedar Rapids man Friday pleaded to six charges for distributing drugs and illegally possessing firearms, including machine guns and a pipe bomb.Raven Damien Burkhow, 25, originally charged with 42 counts, pleaded in U.S. District Court to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance from September 2018 through April 29, 2019; two counts of use and possession of a firearm during and in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime on March 14 and April 29, 2019; possession of firearms — 20 handguns, long guns, silencers and pipe bomb — in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime on April 29; possession of machine guns — three on April 29; and possession of National Firearms Act firearm — pipe bomb — not registered to him on April 29.Burkhow initially was arrested last year after authorities set up controlled buys with a confidential source who purchased cocaine, firearms and gun silencers from Burkhow over the course of a few weeks, according to a complaint.Court documents show a confidential source told authorities in March that Burkhow sold “ghost guns,” which are guns manufactured privately that don’t have manufacturer serial numbers used for identification and registering.The source also said Burkhow sold silencers and rifles that are converted to fully automatic weapons.Burkhow, according to the warrant, admitted to authorities he was a drug user and that there were guns and gold bars in the safe, but he wouldn’t provide law enforcement with a combination to the safe at that time.The 42 count indictment also included prosecutors asking for forfeitures of the firearms and money seized from Burkhow, but the plea agreement is sealed and there’s no information in the records stating if those will be ordered at sentencing.The forfeitures include the firearms, $4,750 seized from Burkhow and from his residence April 29, six gold bars — valued at over $5,500 — and about $172,970 seized from his safe May 2.