Drug Traffickers Headed to Federal Prison

Two Louisiana men are headed to federal prison for dealing drugs in Louisiana. 45-year-old Blandon Richard a/k/a Blandon Todd Bessard of Kaplan, Louisiana is sentenced to 7 and a half years for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin. He will also have to serve 3 years probation.

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Richard pled guilty in November of last year. The charges against Richard were the result of an investigation into the drug trafficking activities of Richard and a co-defendant in the Lafayette area. Agents intercepted cell phone calls outlining the drug activity.

Federal agents also set up physical surveillance where they watched Richard go to his co-defendant’s home and come out after only a few minutes. Richard was then pulled over for a traffic stop and drugs were spotted in plain view. Officers seized the bag and arrested Richard. A woman in the car with Richard admitted to police that when they were pulled over, Richard told her to hide the baggie containing what was thought to be a controlled substance and she put in her pants. She turned that bag over to the officers. That substance was tested and it turned out to be heroin weighing approximately 11.6 grams.

In another case, 49-year-old John Allen Whitaker of West Monroe was sentenced to 8 years in prison, followed by  for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. This charge stemmed from a traffic stop where deputies found more than 50 grams of methamphetamine.