NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that on Oct. 3, 2019, KENNIE SANTOS-PAYANO, age 24, a resident of Kissimmee, Florida, was indicted by the Federal Grand Jury in a one count indictment, charging him with possession with the intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride.
On Sept. 25, 2019, a Louisiana State Police Trooper conducted a traffic stop in Madisonville, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, on Interstate 12 eastbound on a vehicle bearing a Florida license plate. The stop was based on a traffic violation. The trooper identified the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle as SANTOS-PAYANO.
Shortly after the traffic stop, troopers deployed a trained and qualified K-9 drug detection dog, and the dog performed a free air sniff test on the exterior of SANTOS-PAYANO’s vehicle. The K-9 alerted to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle. A subsequent search of the vehicle resulted in the discovery of approximately 9.34 kilograms of a white powdery substance that tested positive for the presence of cocaine hydrochloride on the floorboard of the vehicle.
SANTOS-PAYANO, if convicted, faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum of life imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000,000.00, and at least five years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.
U.S. Attorney Strasser reiterated that the indictment is merely a charging document and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case was investigated by the Office of Homeland Security Investigations and the Louisiana State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Bayonle Osundare is in charge of the prosecution.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
