AUGUSTA, GA: A Columbia County woman has been sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison for her role in a scheme that distributed methamphetamine in the Augusta area.
Bridget Lydell Biggam, 36, of Appling, Ga., was sentenced to 98 months in federal prison by U.S. District Court Chief Judge J. Randal Hall after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. She also was fined $1,500 and must serve three years of supervised release after completion of her prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Methamphetamine is a deadly, horribly addictive drug that destroys users and endangers communities, and we will relentlessly pursue and shut down those who would distribute this poison in our neighborhoods,” said U.S. Attorney Christine.
Biggam was among four defendants named in an eight-count indictment returned by a U.S. District Court grand jury in January 2020, identifying a conspiracy dating back at least to February 2018 that distributed large amounts of methamphetamine throughout the Augusta area.
The investigation, which included controlled purchases and federal search warrants, seized large quantities of methamphetamine, 15 firearms and more than $44,000 in cash.
“The cocktail of deadly chemicals used to manufacture methamphetamine are a recipe for disaster,” said the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division Robert J. Murphy. “These substances are not only volatile and toxic, but they also destroy families, communities and lives. DEA is committed to protecting our communities from dangerous drugs like meth, and this defendant will spend well-deserved time in prison.”
Of the three indicted co-defendants – Christopher Allen Marshall, 33, of Augusta; Bjorn Michael Wiley, 42, of Martinez, Ga.; and John Tillman Durst, 29, of Waynesboro, Ga. – Wiley has entered a guilty plea to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and is awaiting sentencing, while Marshall and Durst are awaiting trial. Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the DEA and the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Henry W. Syms Jr.
