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District Heights resident Trenton Robinson - also known as "Zulu" - has been sentenced to 234 months (19.5 years) in prison for his role in the crew that distributed more than 100 kilograms of marijuana, as well as oxycodone and codeine throughout the region.
The 28-year-old also used, carried, brandished, and discharged firearms during their drug trafficking crimes in the Congress Heights neighborhood in Southeast DC, according to federal officials.
As part of his plea, Robinson admitted that he discharged that machine gun at the driver of a vehicle passing through his crew’s territory on Easter Sunday on April 12, 2020.
He also admitted that he and his crew possessed between 25 and 99 firearms between June 2019 and September 2020.
“This drug trafficker used a machine gun to spray bullets in the direction of a car passing through his drug dealing territory,” US Attorney Matthew Graves said in a statement.
“The hail of gunfire, which injured one person, miraculously did not kill anyone. Federally prosecuting those who, like this defendant, are driving violence is critical to protecting our community.”
Prosecutors made note that Robinson committed the latest crimes while he was on supervised parole for second-degree murder in Montgomery County in connection to the death of a 19-year-old in December 2010 while attempting to rob him.
Robinson pleaded guilty in October 2023 to brandishing a firearm in relation to drug trafficking, and one count of discharging a firearm in relation to drug trafficking.
"Robinson not only distributed drugs but also used illegal firearms to fend off perceived threats to his co-conspirators and what they claimed as their territory,” FBI Special Agent in Charge David Scott said.
“His lengthy sentence is the result of coordination between the FBI and our federal and local partners."
In addition to his prison term, the judge ordered Robinson serve five years of supervised release.
“This individual will learn a costly lesson as he serves a lengthy prison sentence. The usage of machine guns on our streets is sadly something that has gained much more traction since 2020,” ATF Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai added.
“We hope that sentences such as this will serve as a deterrence to others seeking to possess and use illegal firearms more specifically machine gun conversion devices/ switches in our communities."
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