BATO ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — A man from Independence has been sentenced to nearly 20 years in federal prison for his role in a large drug trafficking operation in south Louisiana.
Federal prosecutors said Michael D. Nelson, 56, was sentenced to 235 months in prison. He was convicted of conspiring to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine. A U.S. District Judge ordered Nelson to serve five years of supervised release after his prison sentence.
Court records said Nelson ran a drug trafficking business between July 2017 and February 2018. Investigators discovered he distributed 10 kilograms of cocaine and over 280 grams of methamphetamine. Prosecutors also said Nelson obstructed justice while awaiting trial by making false statements to law enforcement and threatening a witness…