JACKSON, Miss. — Three people have been sentenced on federal drug charges stemming from the same undercover investigation that snared a central Mississippi high school football coach.
Joseph Patrick Coates of Pearl, Daniel Blake Huber of Jonesboro, Ark., and Charles Autry of Palestine, Ark., were sentenced this week in U.S. District Court in Jackson.
Coates’ father, David Coates, and his sister, Mary Alice Coates, were arrested in the same undercover investigation. David Coates was a longtime coach at Northwest Rankin High School.
Patrick Coates, who was a student at the University of Mississippi, was sentenced to 9 years. He was charged with sale of MDMA, the main ingredient in Ecstasy, and possession of narcotics. Huber was sentenced to nearly 3 1/2 years for possession with intent to distribute MDMA or Molly. Autry was sentenced to about 3 years for possession with intent to distribute MDMA.
Federal drug agents said the investigation targeted club drugs, including ecstasy, LSD and high-grade marijuana. The alleged ring operated in Hinds, Madison, Rankin, Lafayette and Forrest counties.
David Coates was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to sell or distribute.
Officials said the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Office of Homeland Security, the Lafayette County Metro Narcotics Unit and the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Office were involved in the investigation.