ALBANY — An Amsterdam man has been sentenced to 15 years and one month in prison after pleading guilty to federal drug and weapon charges, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York.
Bernardo Tovar, 34, on Tuesday was sentenced in federal court to 181 months in prison with eight years post-release supervision for engaging in a drug trafficking conspiracy and possessing fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine with intent to distribute. He also possessed a handgun in furtherance of the crimes.
Tovar previously entered a guilty plea and admitted to conspiring to distribute counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl and other drugs from May to December 2022, federal prosecutors said.
Drugs and related proceeds and a loaded handgun were uncovered during a search of Tovar’s apartment on Dec. 7, 2022. He has a prior violent felony conviction for attempted robbery.
Samual Payano was also taken into custody on the day of the search and charged with distribution and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. The charges against Tovar’s alleged co-conspirator remain pending, federal prosecutors said.
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case.
