Antonio Christian Payne, 31, of Northeast Washington D.C., has been sentenced in U.S. District Court to 235 months in prison on 10 felony charges related to drug trafficking and firearms offences in the District of Columbia.
Payne was found guilty by a federal jury on December 18, 2023, following a five-day trial in the U.S. District Court of unlawful possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl; unlawful possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; unlawful possession with intent to distribute marijuana; unlawful possession with intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride; unlawful possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; unlawful possession with intent to distribute Oxycodone; unlawful opening and maintenance of premises to manufacture and distribute a controlled substance; using, carrying, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offence; using carrying, and possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking offence; and carrying a pistol without a license.
In addition to the prison term, the Honorable Tanya S. Chutkan ordered Payne to serve five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on April 18, 2022, Payne initiated an armed confrontation outside his stash house at his mother’s home in a residential neighbourhood in Northeast D.C. full of young families and their children. During the incident, at 2430 Baldwin Crescent, NE, 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 neighbourhood, fired multiple rounds at the Payne’s stash house as well as at Payne’s cousin, who happened to be outside. Law enforcement officers responded to the scene to investigate the reported drive-by shooting and to determine if Payne’s cousin needed medical aid. The officers entered the house by consent to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
At the same time, additional officers and detectives canvassed the area for witnesses and ultimately reviewed surveillance footage. The video revealed that minutes prior to the drive-by shooting, Payne had brandished a firearm at someone who had attempted to access Payne’s car and garage, both of which were later found to have narcotics and ammunition in them.
Law enforcement obtained a search warrant for the residence, expecting to find the single handgun they believed to be present. Instead, they uncovered the base of operations for Payne’s lucrative drug trafficking operation, which entailed a multitude of controlled substances, chief among them almost 750 grams of fentanyl, protected by a small arsenal of assault rifles, handguns, hundreds of rounds ammunition, firearms accessories, and a bulletproof vest. Additional warrants executed on Payne’s digital devices further fleshed out the true breadth and longevity of Payne’s drug and firearms trafficking business.
Payne did not simply possess a large quantity of fentanyl. Officers also recovered a cornucopia of controlled substances, including more than 125 grams of pure crystal meth; 240 grams of cocaine powder; 175 grams of crack cocaine; hundreds of illegal oxycodone pills; and 12 kilos of marijuana, along with more than $26,000 in U.S. currency.
