Penn State frat pledges were made to cut and bag cocaine for college drug ring, authorities say
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Penn State fraternity pledges were made to cut and package cocaine for a drug ring that was run out of two off-campus frat houses, authorities said. The illicit initiation was revealed…
The Penn State fraternity pledges were coerced into cutting and packaging cocaine for a narcotics operation run from two houses off-campus, authorities announced on Monday. Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Scheidt Jr. filed charges against 14 individuals, including 13 current or former Penn State students. The illicit activity persisted between 2023 and 2024, with the operation sustained by substantial quantities of cocaine supplied by contacts in Philadelphia and New York.
Two of the accused men obtained the drugs and processed them primarily in the Sigma Chi and Delta Upsilon fraternity houses, utilizing fraternity members and pledges as labor. The drugs were then distributed among Penn State students. One of the defendants claimed that a co-defendant was the "primary distributor of cocaine" at Penn State and frequently boasted about his profits from selling the narcotics.
Attorney General Scheidt emphasized that this was a "high-level trafficking organization" for the region, not some juvenile activity. Four individuals face charges of conspiracy, dealing in unlawful proceeds, felony corrupt organizations, and other crimes. Another defendant is charged with felony conspiracy and the misuse of a communication facility.
Eight defendants are accused of misdemeanor drug possession, while a father of a student has been charged with tampering with evidence and obstructing the investigation.
Written by urgent.news from Associated Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
