A jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Tuesday found a man from Hannibal, Missouri guilty of a methamphetamine offense and two gun crimes.
At the end of the second day of his trial, Justin Fuget, 35, was found guilty of three felony counts: being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine and possession a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to evidence and testimony during the trial, officers with the Hannibal Police Department made a traffic stop on March 25, 2022, and spotted a large safe on the passenger seat of Fuget’s vehicle. Fuget also appeared nervous. A drug-sniffing dog alerted to the vehicle, and police then found a firearm between the driver’s seat and the center console. Fuget is a felon and is thus barred from possession of a firearm.
During a subsequent court-approved search of the safe, officers found meth, drug paraphernalia, and ammunition. They also found text messages on Fuget’s phone that indicated that he was distributing meth.
Fuget is scheduled to be sentenced on April 9. He faces at least 10 years in prison for his crimes.
The Hannibal Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Catherine Hoag and Paul D’Agrosa are prosecuting the case.
