Woman Charged in Drug Ring Loses Appeal
September 22, 2012
A woman sentenced to 23 years in prison for running a drug ring that included her 63-year-old mother has lost an appeal.
Christeena Barker was sentenced last year after pleading guilty in federal court to conspiracy to possess with intent to deliver a controlled substance.
Barker's appeal claimed her sentence was unreasonable and her legal representation was ineffective.
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the sentence in a ruling filed earlier this week.
Authorities say Barker led an operation that transported about six pounds of methamphetamine from the Minneapolis and Bakersfield, Calif., areas for distribution in the Fargo area.
Barker's mother, Betty Ann Schweigert, of Fargo, was sentenced to 16 years in prison for her role in the conspiracy.
Federal authorities dubbed the investigation ``Operation Price is Right.''
