Crime & Safety

50-Month Sentence for Cranston Man who Traded Xanax for Guns

Donald Robbio, 56, of Cranston, will spend 50 months in federal prison for trading Xanax for two guns, the Rhode Island district of the United States Attorney's Office announced Monday.

Robbio was arrested last June after he traded "a significant number of Xanax pills for a 9 millimeter pistol and .380 caliber handgun with an undercover ATF agent," according to a release.

Robbio, who pleaded guilty in September to being a felon in possession of a firearm, was also ordered to serve three years supervised release upon his release from prison.

Court records show Robbio has previous convictions for felony assault, firearm charges and manslaughter.

By pleading guilty, Robbio admitted to the court that he contacted the undercover ATF agent who was posing as someone who wanted to buy drugs on June 21. He told the agent he had 300 Xanax pills for sale and asked if the agent had a "toy to play with."

Three days later, Robbio spoke with the agent on the phone and arranged to meet him in person to give a sample of the pills. 

The next day, Robbio sold the agent 35 pills for $100 and agreed to meet again for another $700 worth of xanax in exchange for two firearms. 

Robbio met the agent on June 28 in a parking lot in Cranston were agents watched him trade 140 Xanax pills for the guns. He was immediately taken into custody.

Robbio was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith.


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