Washington DC Large Scale Drug Trafficker Sentenced To Federal Prison
Friday, October 5, 2024, 6:30 P.M. ET. 3 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
WASHINGTON, DC.- On Wednesday, October 2, 2024, Antonio Christian Payne, 31, of Northeast Washington D.C., appeared in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Tanya S. Chutkan to 235 months in federal prison to be followed by five years of supervised release on 10 federal felony charges in connection with drug trafficking and firearms offenses throughout the District of Columbia.
Charges Convicted Of
According to U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, on December 18, 2023, following a five-day trial, a federal jury for the U.S. District of Columbia found Payne guilty on the charges of Possession with Intent to Distribute 400 grams or more of Fentanyl; Possession with Intent to Distribute 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine; Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana; Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine; Possession with Intent to Distribute Crack Cocaine; Possession with Intent to Distribute Oxycodone; Maintaining a Controlled Dangerous Substance Manufacturing Facility; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense; Carrying a Firearm in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking Offense; and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm without a License.
According to documents filed with the court and evidence presented at trial. On April 18, 2022, Payne initiated an armed confrontation outside his stash house at his mother’s home in a residential neighborhood in Northeast Washington, D.C., a neighborhood with young families and their children.
During the incident at 2430 Baldwin Crescent in Northeast Washington, D.C., Payne brandished a firearm at a would-be intruder whom he perceived to be staking out his residence and the valuable contraband inside. The individual returned minutes later and, in broad daylight in a residential neighborhood, fired multiple gunshots at Payne’s stash house as well as at Payne’s cousin, who happened to be outside the home.
Police Officers responded to the scene to investigate the drive-by shooting and to determine if Payne’s cousin needed medical aid. The Police Officers entered the house by consent to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
At the same time, additional Police Officers and Detectives arrived on the scene, began to canvass the area for witnesses, and ultimately reviewed surveillance footage. The video revealed that just minutes before the drive-by shooting, Payne had brandished a firearm at someone who had attempted to break into Payne’s car and garage, both of which were to have narcotics and ammunition inside them.
Police Officers and Detectives obtained and executed a court-authorized search warrant for the residence, expecting to find a single handgun they believed to be in the house. Instead, they uncovered the base of operations for Payne’s lucrative drug trafficking operation, which entailed a multitude of controlled dangerous substances.
Detectives found almost 750 grams of fentanyl, which was protected by multiple assault rifles, handguns, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, firearms accessories, and a bulletproof vest. Additional warrants were executed on Payne’s digital devices, uncovering the truth about Payne’s long-running drug and firearms trafficking operation.
Authorities Discover Payne’s Trafficking Operation
U.S. Attorney Graves further revealed that Payne did not simply possess a large quantity of fentanyl. Police Officers and Detectives uncovered a cornucopia of controlled substances, including more than 125 grams of pure crystal methamphetamine, 240 grams of powder cocaine, 175 grams of crack cocaine, hundreds of illegal oxycodone pills, 12 kilograms of marijuana, and more than $26,000 in cash.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department.
