Felon Accused Of Dealing Fentanyl In Murrieta Must Stand Trial

MURRIETA, CA — A convicted felon accused of dealing drugs and carrying a loaded firearm while traveling between Murrieta and Lake Elsinore must stand trial for possession of controlled substances for sale and other felonies, a judge ruled Wednesday.

James Lee Hugh, 48, was arrested by Murrieta police in July after they tailed him into Lake Elsinore on a hunch that he was transporting illegal drugs.

Following a preliminary hearing at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta, Riverside County Superior Court Judge John Monterosso found there was sufficient evidence to warrant a trial on the drug-dealing charge, as well as one count each of possession of a controlled substance while armed and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, with a sentence-enhancing allegation of committing a crime while on bail.

Monterosso scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for March 14. Hugh is free on a $45,000 bond.

According to Murrieta police Sgt. Scott Montez, detectives had been monitoring the defendant's moves based on information that he was allegedly dealing fentanyl, a highly addictive opioid that can be injected or used as a skin patch.

Investigators followed Hugh into Lake Elsinore, where he was pulled over and searched, culminating in his arrest for allegedly possessing an undisclosed quantity of the narcotic, along with a handgun and 100 rounds of ammunition, Montez said.

Hugh has an "extensive criminal history," going back 17 years, Montez said.

At the time of his arrest, Hugh was on bail after being jailed six months earlier for allegedly transporting illegal drugs -- another case for which he was ordered to stand trial.

— By City News Service / Image via Shutterstock