Columbia Man Sentenced to 127 Months for Trafficking in Fentanyl, Illegal Firearm

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Columbia, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court for possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

James Edward Hughes, 30, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 67 months for possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute, and five years for possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.  The Court ordered the sentences to run consecutively for a total sentence of 127 months in federal prison without parole.  The Court also sentenced Hughes to four years of supervised release following incarceration.

On Feb. 25, 2025, Hughes pleaded guilty to one count of possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute and one count of knowingly possessing a firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking offense.   

On Sep. 21, 2023, Columbia Police Department officers pulled over a silver Mazda SUV, that had no front license plates.  The driver of the vehicle, Hughes was asked to step out of the vehicle, and during a pat down of Hughes, a bag of pills was discovered on his person.  Hughes was found to possess 815 pills, which contained fentanyl.  During the pat down of Hughes, an officer observed the butt of handgun sticking out from under the driver’s seat.  The firearm, a Glock 36, .45 caliber handgun was recovered.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney, Jim Lynn.  It was investigated by the Columbia Police Department and Drug Enforcement Administration.

Project Safe Neighborhoods

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.