More than a dozen Penn State University students ran a cocaine-trafficking ring that cut and packaged the potent drug mainly at two fraternity houses, authorities said on Monday. The Pennsylvania attorney general, Dave Sunday, announced charges on Monday against 14 people linked to the purported operation, saying it involved “primarily college students and two fraternities”. The drugs were “distributed mainly to Penn State … students”, Sunday’s office contended in statements that caused waves far beyond the research university’s campus community.
The drugs were allegedly trafficked in 2023 and 2024. Thirteen of the defendants charged in the case were students during that time frame. And of those, Sunday’s office said, four are still enrolled as Penn State students.
There were two main suppliers in the group who made “regular” trips to New York and Philadelphia “for large quantities of cocaine”, the agency said. Prosecutors said that four defendants face charges involving “felony corrupt organizations, conspiracy, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity, and related offenses”. Another defendant is charged with felony conspiracy and criminal use of a communication facility, as well as related misdemeanors.
Eight other “student-aged” defendants face misdemeanor counts of paraphernalia and possession. The 14th person charged was described as a student’s father, who is accused of tampering with evidence and hindering the investigation. The majority of payments were in cash or through “payment apps”, according to Sunday.
There was nothing junior or childlike about this type of conduct,” Sunday said at a news conference, according to the . Delta Upsilon, which Penn State placed on interim probation pending a university investigation, said “the individuals associated with Delta Upsilon have either been expelled, suspended or resigned”.
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