Humboldt County jury returns guilty verdict in heroin case; Mexican national faces prison, deportation

◼ Humboldt County jury returns guilty verdict in heroin case; Mexican national faces prison, deportation
After just hours of deliberation Wednesday, a Humboldt County jury found an undocumented Mexican national guilty of heroin trafficking charges.

On the heels of the four-day trial, the jury convicted Jose Hernandez Lopez of possessing heroin for sale, transporting heroin and using a false compartment to conceal the drug. Lopez was also found guilty of providing false information to law enforcement, according to a press release.

Lopez, 50, faces up to eight years, eight months in prison and deportation to Mexico after serving his sentence. A prior drug conviction will add a mandatory three years onto Lopez's sentence, according to the release.

”The evidence showed sophisticated, large-scale drug trafficking of the sort which deserves the fullest application of our law enforcement resources,” said Deputy District Attorney Maggie Fleming in the release. “And this case shows how our Drug Task Force can effectively interdict such activity.”