Mexican national held to answer in heroin trafficking case

Thadeus Greenson/The Times-Standard
Posted: 02/19/2011 05:14:25 AM PST


An undocumented Mexican national will be held to stand trial on heroin trafficking charges, a Humboldt County Superior Court judge ruled Friday.

After a brief preliminary hearing, Judge Harold Neville found there is sufficient evidence to hold Jose Hernandez Lopez to stand trial on charges of possessing heroin for sales, transporting heroin and using a false compartment to transport a controlled substance. Lopez has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and remains held in the Humboldt County jail without bail under a hold placed on him by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.

Lopez was arrested Feb. 1, when Humboldt County Drug Task Force agents stopped the blue 2009 Ford Taurus he was driving and reported finding 1.5 pounds of black tar heroin in a hidden compartment located under the center console of the vehicle. Lopez and his three passengers were arrested at the scene.

Two of Lopez's passengers pleaded guilty Thursday to misdemeanor charges of providing false identification to a peace officer and the charges facing the third passenger were dismissed. Deputy District Attorney Maggie Fleming said the three passengers denied having any knowledge of the hidden compartment or the heroin in Lopez's vehicle, and that Lopez said the drugs were his and unknown to his passengers.

Testimony Friday supported that.

Marvin Kirkpatrick, an agent with the Humboldt County Drug Task Force and the only witness called during the hearing, testified that a fellow agent interviewed Lopez at the scene, after agents found the heroin and Mirandized Lopez.

â€