Five Penn State Cocaine Ring Suspects Plead Not Guilty, Waive Arraignments Before Nov. 16 Hearing
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 30
Five Penn State Cocaine Ring Suspects Plead Not Guilty, Waive Arraignments Before Nov. 16 Hearing
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 30
Summary
Five men charged in the Penn State cocaine case filed papers in Centre County indicating not-guilty pleas and waiving Wednesday arraignments, with a pretrial conference set for Nov. 16.
Three defendants — Agostino Abbatiello, Robert Zanolla and Thomas Robinson — requested jury trials, while Mohammed Huraibi and Paul Robinson did not yet choose jury or non-jury proceedings.
Prosecutors say the 14-person operation used fraternity ties to move cocaine into State College, with testimony describing purchases that grew from 100 grams for about $4,000 to kilogram-level deals.
Charging documents cast Abbatiello as a top supplier, Zanolla as a courier from New York, and Paul Robinson as helping hide a safe after Thomas Robinson's arrest, though defense lawyers say key issues remain untested.
The case has drawn wider attention beyond campus crime because local officials say synthetic stimulants and bulk drug trafficking are increasingly reaching rural Pennsylvania communities.