Medina man sentenced to 6 years in prison on gun, drug charges
ALBION – A Medina man who admitted to having fentanyl with the intent to sell it, and also having a load firearm was sentenced to six years in state prison today as well as five years of post-release supervision.
Xavier Hand
Xavier Hand was sentenced by Orleans County Court Judge Sandford Church. Hand pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree.
Church sentenced Hand to the maximum under a plea agreement. He could have faced up to 15 years in prison without the plea if convicted at a trial.
Hand was charged last February and accused of selling and distributing fentanyl pills disguised as prescription oxycodone pills. He also allegedly disguised Xanax bars and high-grade marijuana.
Law enforcement seized 114 fentanyl pills disguised as Oxycodone pills, over 2,000 disguised Xanax bars, over a half of pound of Psilocybin mushrooms, over 14 pounds of high-grade marijuana, over $156,000 in cash, a loaded .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol, scales, numerous packaging material and other drug paraphernalia.
“This defendant is an extensive seller of drugs in our community,” District Attorney Joe Cardone told Judge Church.
Hand kept the drugs at his home and also from a storage unit.
Joanne Best, the public defender, disputed that hand has an extensive record of selling drugs. He has one previous arrest for drug possession.
She said Hand has taken full responsibility for his actions. She asked for a drug treatment o shock program while incarcerated. She said Hand functioned as a mule in the drug sales.
Hand apologized to the community, his friends and family for the crimes. He said he grew up in a broken and lost his father when Hand was 6 years old and his mother when he was 12. Hand said he recently has been baptized and wants to lead a church someday, educating people about the dangers of drugs.
Judge Church said Hand played an active role in the drug sales, and was on probation when committing the crimes.
“I think he was more than a mule,” Church responded to Best.
In another case today, Judge Church sentenced Jennifer T. Sportsman, 48, of Clarendon to two years of probation for criminal possession of stolen property.
