U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that Raymond Bridges, 55, and Mary Doughty, 65, both residents of Bogalusa, were sentenced Tuesday having previously pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride and cocaine base and misprision of a felony, respectively. Misprision of a felony is the act of concealing or not disclosing said felony to the proper authorities as soon as possible.

U.S. District Judge Jay C. Zainey sentenced Bridges to a 24-month term of imprisonment and four years of supervised release, while Doughty was sentenced to a 24-month term of probation.

On Feb. 6 Bridges and Doughty were two of 15 defendants charged in an eight-count indictment. This investigation targeted a drug trafficking organization that operated out of the Bogalusa area. The indictment was based on court-authorized wiretaps that recorded conversations between Steven Haynes, who has pleaded guilty in this case, and the defendants, concerning the distribution of powder cocaine that was later converted to crack and sold in Washington and Tangipahoa parishes.

Polite praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael E. McMahon is in charge of the prosecution.