A New York City man described by authorities as a “career offender” was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Portland to serve more than 12 years in prison for trafficking heroin in Topsham in 2012.

Roger Burke, 31, was sentenced by Judge D. Brock Hornby to serve 151 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

Burke was the passenger in a vehicle driven by Briana Frazier, 23, of Yarmouth, when they were stopped by federal agents on Oct. 17, 2012, in Topsham. Frazier had 700 bags of heroin on her, which Burke admitted belonged to him. An unnamed defendant from another case who worked with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration had arranged to buy the heroin from Burke as part of a sting, according to court records.

Both Burke and Frazier were indicted by a federal grand jury in April, but the case against Frazier never progressed beyond the indictment, according to their case files. Burke pleaded guilty in August to a charge of conspiracy to distribute heroin.

This was Burke’s third drug trafficking conviction, making him subject to increased prison terms under the federal sentencing guidelines, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Scott Dolan can be reached at 791-6304 or at:

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