Three men sentenced for violent kidnapping and robbery of Belle Glade drug dealer: DOJ

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Thursday the sentencing of three men involved in a robbery and kidnapping of a Belle Glade drug dealer, and interstate transportation of stolen drug proceeds scheme.

Dillon Renee Polanco, Anthony William Lamar, and Rahsaan Rolando Robinson received sentences ranging from 10 years to 28 years following a long-term investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the DOJ said.

On December 14, 2020, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office (PBSO) responded to a 911 call involving two victims who had been kidnapped in West Palm Beach. The DOJ said the victims — a drug dealer from Belle Glade and his friend — had their hands and feet bound with zip ties and duct tape. The Belle Glade man said his robbers took $70,000 from a safe in his grandmother's house. Following an investigation, PBSO determined that Lamar, Robinson, and another man named Darwin Avila Salgado were the robbers.

The DOJ said the robbery was initially planned by Polanco and Salgado after a drug dispute with the victim. The two men had previously supplied the Belle Glade victim with marijuana from California, and the robbery stemmed from a dispute over the quality of the goods.

Polanco financed the robbery, the DO said, and at one point even planned to join Salgado and Lamar in the plan. However, Polanco decided not to travel to Florida and Robinson took his place.

The DOJ said once the men traveled from Ohio to West Palm Beach, they stayed at a rental home where they obscured surveillance cameras inside, covered door handles with plastic, and added window tint to a rental car. Investigators said Salgado, using the money given to him by Polanco, also obtained firearms, including an AR-15 style pistol, ammunition, a large capacity drum magazine, and a taser used during the robbery and kidnapping.

In the early morning hours of Dec. 14, 2020, the victim and his friend arrived at the rental to meet Salgado and Lamar. The two men were unaware that Robinson was waiting with the pistol, the DOJ said. Salgado contacted Polanco and was told to “do what he was going to do.”

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Salgado, Lamar, and Robinson attacked the victims with firearms and a taser, the DOJ said. The victims were bound and their personal belongings and jewelry were stolen, including a gold rope chain and gold Jesus pendant. The victims were then taken to Belle Glade where the $70,000 was taken from the safe.

Salgado and Lamar fled to Georgia but were arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service. The DOJ said law enforcement found one of the victim's IDs, taser, the $70,000, and firearms in the rental car. Robinson fled to California and was arrested, the gold necklace and Jesus pendant were found and recovered from Robinson’s apartment.

The DOJ said the men were arrested and charged with:

• Salgado pled guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping, kidnapping robbery, and possession and use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. He was sentenced, on Feb. 3, 2023, to 19 years in federal prison.
• Lamar and Robinson each pled guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping, kidnapping, and brandishing and use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Lamar was sentenced to 28 years and 10 months in prison on April 29, and Robinson was sentenced to 18 years and 4 months in prison on May 2.
• Polanco pled guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery, possession and use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and interstate transportation of stolen money. He was sentenced to 10 years and 10 months in prison on May 6.

In addition to their respective terms of imprisonment, each defendant was sentenced to a term of supervised release, the DOJ said.

The prosecution was a part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program.