Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Greg Robinson was arrested this week for allegedly transporting drugs after law enforcement at the Sierra Blanca checkpoint outside of El Paso, Texas, found an astonishing 157 pounds of marijuana packed in duffel bags in a car he was traveling in.
Browns’ Greg Robinson arrest for possession of 157 POUNDS of marijuana, explained
Here’s how this all occurred.
Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
Robinson, fellow professional football player Quan Bray, and a third individual identified as an Uber driver were all detained by police. Robinson and Bray were charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana, and possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and could face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.
Despite being arrested at a border patrol checkpoint, there’s a lot of misinformation surrounding Robinson’s arrest. The criminal complaint released by the U.S. Department of Justice outlines that Robinson and Bray hired an Uber driver they had known since 2018 to take them from Los Angeles to Louisiana in a trip that began on Sunday. Though they weren’t trying to cross the border, Robinson allegedly instructed Bray to take over as the driver as they approached the checkpoint on Interstate 10, and told the third individual to claim the marijuana as their own should they be stopped by officers. The Uber driver, whose name has not been released to the public, refused, according to the complaint, saying he wouldn’t have driven the pair had he known there were drugs in the car.
It’s unclear at this time why Robinson and Bray decided to drive through the Sierra Blanca checkpoint at all. Traveling from Los Angeles to Louisiana didn’t necessitate taking Interstate 10, which goes through the checkpoint. Even if they had a specific reason for going through El Paso, they could have taken US-62 as an alternate route, avoiding the checkpoint all together.
As the trio approached the checkpoint, a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol canine officer alerted law enforcement that something was in the vehicle, and a subsequent search uncovered 157 pounds of marijuana packed in duffel bags in the rear cargo area. Unsurprisingly, Robinson and Bray were arrested, as 157 pounds of marijuana is a ridiculous amount, carrying an estimated street value of over $500,000.
The amount of marijuana is what’s most astonishing here. Charges vary from state to state, but on a federal level marijuana moves from possession to trafficking or “intent to sell” when an individual is in possession of more than 10 kilograms (22.2 pounds). This means that Robinson and Bray were carrying roughly seven times over the amount required to escalate charges.
While the whole scenario of hiring an Uber to take massive amounts of weed across the country might seem ludicrous and silly — and, yes, a lot of this is — Robinson faces extremely serious charges for drug trafficking. His NFL career is certainly over as a result, and the 27-year-old could end up spending a significant portion of his adult life in prison.
