Amsterdam man sentenced 10 years for drug conspiracy

AMSTERDAM, N.Y. (NEWS10)-- An Amsterdam man was sentenced to 10 years and 10 months in prison for drug trafficking conspiracy on Friday. Samul Payano, 24, pleaded guilty in May.

The United States Department of Justice said through Payano's guilty plea, he admitted to a drug trafficking conspiracy involving fentanyl pills, cocaine, and methamphetamine, distributing fentanyl pills, and using a firearm to traffick drugs. Payano participated in the drug trafficking conspiracy with Bernardo Tovar, who was sentenced to 15 years in April.

Payano admitted that between May 2022 and December 2022, he and Tovar conspired to distribute counterfeit oxycodone pills that had fentanyl in them, cocaine, and methamphetamines. He also admitted to distributing the fentanyl pills with a firearm to another person on Oct. 12, 2022.

Through the guilty plea, Payano also confessed to having the drugs and two firearms in their apartment when it was searched by police on Dec. 7, 2022. Payano will serve four years of probation following his prison sentence.