Two Hattiesburg men sentenced in a drug-trafficking case
Published 4:42 pm Friday, December 1, 2006
Two Hattiesburg men, convicted in what federal prosecutors call a major drug operation in Mississippi, were sentenced this week in federal court.
Ricky Barnes, Patrick Simms and former Hi-Hat 2000 club owner Ivory Charles Kindred pleaded guilty in August to drug trafficking charges.
A large quantity of drugs and $2.9 million in cash and property were seized in the operation, and 27 people were indicted.
Authorities said Kindred and Barnes were involved in bringing 6,000 pounds of marijuana from Texas to Mississippi. The two men pleaded guilty to attempting to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
Simms pleaded guilty to conspiracy.
Barnes was sentenced Tuesday to 50 months in prison followed by five years of parole, a $10,000 fine and a $100 special assessment, according to court documents.
Simms was sentenced to 40 months, with three years of parole, a $7,500 fine and a $100 special assessment, court documents said.
Kindred’s sentencing was postponed until Feb. 1 at the request of his lawyers. He faces five to 40 years in prison and $2 million in fines