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SCRANTON — A federal judge has sentenced a Wilkes-Barre man to nearly nine years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute bath salts.
Robert Benussi III, 26, pleaded guilty to the felony charge in February in U.S. District Court, Scranton. Senior U.S. District Judge James Munley ordered Benussi to serve 107 months behind bars on Thursday.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Benussi admitted to agreeing with others to distribute alpha-pvp, or bath salts, to customers in Luzerne County between 2014 and 2015. Benussi and others obtained the illicit substances from suppliers in China and used force, intimidation and threats to carry out the conspiracy, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Benussi was among seven people charged in August 2016. Since 2013, a total of 18 have been charged in the conspiracy, including a Texas-based supplier, according to prosecutors.
The judge also ordered Benussi to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term.
The investigation was conducted by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Postal Inspectors, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Pennsylvania State Police and local police from Luzerne County. Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis Sempa prosecuted the case.