[email\u00a0protected]<\/a>\u201d). Further examination of the reservation revealed that the listed billing address contained a ZIP code inconsistent with the stated city. Checks on multiple person-identifier databases available to law enforcement for the name \u2018Keith Hunter\u2019 along with the provided date of birth yielded negative results.\u201d<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Refunded and Rebooked 12 Times<\/p>\n
\u201cI was able to monitor the identifiers used in the reservation for future travel. Over the course of an approximately 18-hour period, tickets were repeatedly refunded and rebooked across more than 12 different trains. On April 22, 2026, the same identifiers were ultimately used to purchase an Amtrak ticket scheduled to depart that day from New York Penn Station at 1240 hours, with an arrival time of approximately 1600 hours in Providence, Rhode Island,\u201d wrote Vilardo.<\/p>\n
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Conductor Confirms \u201cKeith Hunter\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApproximately 30 minutes after departure, I confirmed through Amtrak systems that the ticket had been scanned by the conductor, which indicated that a passenger presenting himself as \u201cKeith Hunter\u201d was on board the train. Conductor information also included the seat and car in which that passenger was located as well as a description of what the passenger was wearing, specifically tan cargo pants, a white T-shirt, a black and white hat, and multiple gold chains. Conductor information also specified that the passenger was a white male. I, along with agents from the PDO, established surveillance at the station prior to the train\u2019s arrival,\u201d states Vilardo\u2019s affidavit.<\/p>\n
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![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Amtrak.jpg\")
Providence Amtrak Station PHOTO: GoLocal FILE<\/p>\n
More Agents Engage<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the train arrived [in Providence], Special Agents Sean Lively and Melissa Gillen, focused on the car specified by the conductor, observed a white male wearing the specified clothing and jewelry. The agents recognized the male as being consistent in appearance with the photograph of KASH provided by the CS. The agents observed this male disembark from the train carrying a backpack and suitcase,\u201d according to Vilardo.<\/p>\n
The person of interest matched the photo that CS had provided.<\/p>\n
\u201cAgents maintained surveillance on the male as he walked from the platform toward the station exit. I observed the male to be wearing the clothing and jewelry specified by the conductor, and I also noticed that he had a suitcase and backpack. I also recognized the male as being consistent in appearance with the photograph of KASH provided by the CS. TFO Chad Sousa and I, both dressed in plainclothes, approached the male and identified ourselves as law enforcement agents while displaying our badges. TFO Sousa and I were positioned side by side in front of the male, and I asked the male if I could speak with him. The male did not respond and instead walked straight between TFO Sousa and me, brushing both of us in the process. Shortly after, TFO Sousa, other law enforcement agents, and I detained the male.<\/p>\n
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![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Amtrak-K-9-Dog-Promotional-photo-fair-use-April-2026.jpg\")
Amtrak Promotional Photo K-9 Unit PHOTO: Amtrak<\/p>\n
\u201cGarry\u201d Makes a Positive Identification<\/p>\n
\u201cA short time later, K9 Officer Aaron Steer and his K9 partner, \u201cGARRY,\u201d a canine certified by the North American Police Work Dog Association in the detection of controlled substances that include both cocaine and methamphetamine, conducted an open-air sniff of the male\u2019s belongings. The canine provided a positive indication on the backpack. TFO Sousa searched the backpack and found a clear plastic bag containing material consistent in appearance with cocaine. TFO Sousa searched the suitcase and found two clear plastic bags there each containing a crystalline substance consistent in appearance with methamphetamine. I arrested the male and read him his Miranda rights,\u201d states Vilardo\u2019s affidavit.<\/p>\n
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\u00a0<\/p>\n
Testing Confirms<\/p>\n
\u201cLater, field testing of the substances in each bag in the suitcase indicated the presence of methamphetamine. The two plastic bags with their contents weighed approximately 4 pounds (over 1800 grams). I know from experience that the two bags are of negligible weight and therefore know that the substances in the bags, namely the methamphetamine, weigh well over 500 grams. I know based on my training and experience that such a large quantity of methamphetamine is consistent with distribution and unlikely to be kept solely for personal use. Field testing of the bag in the backpack indicated the presence of cocaine, and it weighed approximately 50 grams, including the weight of the bag,\u201d states the affidavit.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat Does It Look Like\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter being taken into custody and transported to the PDO for booking and processing, the male subject was identified as Gabriel R. Penta. At the PDO, I again Mirandized Penta. I provided him a written rights form and observed him reading it and signing it, indicating that he understood his rights. I then questioned him. He told me that he was using a fake name when he purchased his train ticket. He said he was using that fake name because he had outstanding warrants in Rhode Island. He admitted to changing his train ticket many times prior to his arrival in Providence. He admitted to booking his tickets under the name \u201cKeith Hunter.\u201d He admitted to packing the backpack and suitcase and specified that he was the only one who had packed them. When asked what he had in his backpack and suitcase, he responded \u2018What does it look like?\u201d according to\u00a0Vilardo\u2019s affidavit.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Many Pending State Felony Charges<\/p>\n
A GoLocal review of the Rhode Island court portal finds that he has outstanding warrants in Rhode Island courts for multiple felonies, including drug charges and a hit-and-run.<\/p>\n
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GoLocalProv News Team<\/p>\n
The GoLocal news team has written more than 80,000 stories over the past 15 years. Taking on some of the most powerful interests. If you have a story or tip, email us at [email\u00a0protected]<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Enjoy this post? Share it with others.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Federal Affidavit Unveils Major Drug Trafficking From NYC to RI on Amtrak Train PHOTO: Amtrak, FILE A federally…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":213525,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[128,288,20107,20108,157,20101,745,9,24,12,63,20109,20102,20103,20104,20106,20105,319,129,131,130,133],"class_list":["post-213524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-the-bronx","tag-bronx","tag-business","tag-campaign-2014","tag-digital-news","tag-entertainment","tag-golocalprov","tag-investigation","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-news","tag-nyc","tag-ocean-state","tag-providence","tag-rhode-island","tag-rhode-island-news","tag-rhode-island-politics","tag-rhode-island-sports","tag-sports","tag-the-bronx","tag-the-bronx-headlines","tag-the-bronx-news","tag-weather"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213524","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=213524"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213524\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/213525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=213524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=213524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=213524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Amtrak.png\")
PHOTO: Amtrak, FILE<\/p>\n