A jury in the U.S. District Court in Springfield, Missouri, has found Michael E. Hunt, Jr., 43, guilty of possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute.
Hunt, a Columbia, Missouri, man, was found guilty of one count of possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute. The crime date was June 12, 2022.
According to the court, law enforcement officers learned that Hunt was planning to transport fentanyl from Columbia to Springfield. A Laclede County, Missouri, sheriff’s deputy conducted a traffic stop for a moving violation, after which a police service dog alerted to the presence of drugs in the Jeep.
The vehicle was locked, but after being unlocked by a local tow company, officers searched the vehicle and found a black gym bag on the front passenger seat that contained approximately 300 grams of fentanyl. This amount is consistent with distribution and not merely personal use.
Following the presentation of evidence, the jury deliberated for about an hour before returning a guilty verdict to U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes.
Under federal statutes, Hunt is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony Brown and J.D. Hatcher. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Laclede County, Missouri, Sheriff’s Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and the Springfield, Missouri, Police Department.
Hunt’s sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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