Man stopped in Laclede County sentenced for possessing 300 grams of fentanyl

A Columbia man was sentenced in federal court Thursday for possessing fentanyl while driving through Laclede County. Michael E. Hunt, Jr., 43, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 15 years in federal prison without parole. Hunt was found guilty at trial on July 16, 2024, of one count of possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute. Law enforcement officers learned that Hunt was planning to transport fentanyl from Columbia to Springfield. Hunt was driving a black Jeep Renegade southbound on Highway 5 on June 12, 2022, when a Laclede County sheriff’s deputy conducted a traffic stop for a moving violation. A police service dog alerted to the presence of drugs in the Jeep, at which time Hunt locked the vehicle and refused to give officers the keys. After the Jeep was 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, which is consistent with distribution and not merely personal use. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cameron A. Beaver and Anthony M. Brown. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Laclede County Sheriff’s Office, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Springfield Police Department.