MAN FOUND GUILTY FOLLOWING DRUG TRIAL

A Pemiscot County man was found guilty Thursday of distributing several kilograms of cocaine through a network of crack houses, the U.S. attorney's office said.

James E. Borders, 28, was found guilty in U.S. District Court of distributing cocaine base at the conclusion of a three-day trial, said Larry Ferrell, assistant U.S. attorney. Borders had managed several drug houses around Hayti Heights over a three-year period starting in 1996, Ferrell said.

The jury deliberated for one hour before returning with a guilty verdict.

Borders will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Oct. 10. He faces a maximum punishment of life in prison.

Nine residents of Pemiscot County, four who live in Steele, have appeared in federal court in Cape Girardeau recently for alleged distribution of cocaine.