SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – A Savannah man previously convicted of murder has been sentenced to federal prison for fentanyl and heroin trafficking.

According to Jill Steinberg, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, 25-year-old Dyanta Samuels was sentenced to over 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and heroin.

That sentence will run consecutively with the life sentence he is serving in state prison for the 2020 fatal shooting of Kareem Smalls in Savannah.

Samuels and three co-defendants — Shantanese Anderson, Kya Key and Ismail Maxwell — were indicted on drug charges in May 2022.

According to court documents and testimony, law enforcement officers were conducting surveillance at a Savannah apartment complex in April 2021 regarding a suspect in a homicide case when they were alerted to possible drug trafficking activity.

In the investigation, authorities seized large amounts of marijuana and fentanyl, quantities of heroin, drug trafficking paraphernalia, multiple firearms, ammunition, multiple high-capacity magazines and cash during traffic stops and a subsequent search of the apartment.

“This investigation took an illegal drug merchant off the streets along with numerous firearms that are dangerous tools of the violent drug trade,” said Steinberg. “We commend our law enforcement partners for outstanding work in bringing Samuels and his co-defendants to justice.”

The case was investigated by the Savannah Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service.