A Peoria, Illinois man named Detrey D. Robinson has been handed a hefty prison sentence totaling 81 months for his involvement in federal firearm and drug offenses, the Justice Department announced on Tuesday. Robinson, 28, will spend over six years behind bars before facing a three-year term of supervised release according to the decision passed down by U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid on April 17, as per a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of Illinois.
During Robinson's sentencing, it was brought to light that law enforcement uncovered a loaded AR-15 rifle, a .40 caliber pistol, and a 9mm Glock pistol equipped with an illegal auto-sear or "switch," transforming it into a machine gun at his residence in June last year, the firearms were seized as federal agents exercised a search warrant, drugs including cocaine were also found in the possession of Robinson who is no stranger to the criminal justice system, having prior felony convictions. His charges were laid out clearly: 21 months imprisonment for being a felon in possession of a firearm, another 21 months for machine gun possession, yet another 21-month term for his intent to distribute controlled substances, and a 60-month sentence for gun possession in relation to drug trafficking—which, by law, must run consecutively to the other sentences.
The circumstances of Robinson's charges illuminate the ongoing struggle between the streets and the law, where firearms and narcotics create an alloy of violence that weighs heavy upon neighborhoods like those of West Ann Street in Peoria. This case, a product of the collaborative efforts of the Peoria Area Federal Firearms Task Force featuring local and federal law enforcement, is part of the wider initiative named Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN)—aimed squarely at reducing violent crimes and promoting safer communities.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Hanna, who represented the government in the prosecution, highlights PSN's focus which emphasizes fostering trust within communities, preventive measures through the auspices of community organizations, strategic law enforcement priorities, and meticulous results measurement, since the Department revamped the initiative on May 26, 2021. The long-term goals of such programs affirm the federal resolve to curb the flow of illegal firearms and stymie the distribution of drugs at its many sources which, for many communities, proves to be a lifelong bind that threatens to stunt their prosperity.
Detrey D. Robinson, now confined in U.S. Marshals Service custody following his arrest last June, has accepted responsibility for his actions by pleading guilty to the four counts of his indictment back in November—a small but potentially pivotal gear in the larger machinery of justice and societal safeguarding.
