Manhattan man sentenced to 15 years on drug charges

BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A Manhattan man accused of drug trafficking in the Capital Region was sentenced to 15 years in a state correctional facility and five years of post-release supervision. Hernandez Hayes, 49, was arrested on March 12 in Halfmoon following a search warrant of a vehicle he was traveling in on I-87.

According to the police, 465 grams of cocaine and 16 ounces of fentanyl pills were discovered in the vehicle. Hayes pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first degree.

"The defendant drove to New York City to buy cheap drugs and come up to the Saratoga area and sell to addicts at a significant markup," said District Attorney Karen A. Heggen. "This case sends a strong message that while true addicts need treatment, the fact remains that true drug dealers need prison."