Updated
Updated · abcnews.com · Aug 19
Penn State Charges 14 in Cocaine Ring as Supplier Thought 2024 Arrest Was a Prank
Updated
Updated · abcnews.com · Aug 19

Penn State Charges 14 in Cocaine Ring as Supplier Thought 2024 Arrest Was a Prank

3 articles · Updated · abcnews.com · Aug 19

Summary

  • Fourteen people were charged in an alleged Penn State cocaine-trafficking operation, with court records identifying former student Thomas Robinson as one of two main suppliers.
  • A 2024 complaint says a confidential informant made multiple cocaine buys from Robinson at the Delta Upsilon house, where he allegedly took Venmo payments under his own name.
  • On Dec. 13, 2024, officers arrested Robinson in his fraternity room after he allegedly resisted and was tasered; once handcuffed, he said he thought the officers were fraternity brothers playing a prank.
  • Investigators say Robinson and Agostino Abbatiello made regular trips to Philadelphia and New York for cocaine that was cut, packaged and distributed mainly to Penn State students through Delta Upsilon and Sigma Chi.
  • Paul Robinson, Thomas Robinson's father, was also charged, accused of concealing evidence including a safe with drugs and cash as the attorney general said the ring's most significant members are now in custody.

Insights

How did a massive fraternity cocaine ring operate under the university's nose for years before the 2024 bust?
Were fraternity pledges forced into drug trafficking as part of a dangerous new evolution in college hazing rituals?
What hidden digital trails did the public Venmo drug payments leave behind for the hundreds of student buyers?