All articles tagged with #drug trafficking
Pennsylvania prosecutors detail a 14-person cocaine operation tied to Penn State, spanning suppliers to packaging and delivery with members from Delta Upsilon and Sigma Chi; the alleged hierarchy includes a top leader and several distributors and packaging crews, and charges range from felonies to misdemeanors as investigators relied on confidential informants; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Fourteen people, including current and former Penn State students from Sigma Chi and Delta Upsilon, were charged in an off-campus cocaine distribution operation that used Snapchat and cash apps to move drugs to students. Authorities describe a clear hierarchy from suppliers to distributors and delivery, with Agostino Abbatiello allegedly leading the scheme. Others named include Thomas Robinson, Mohammed Huraibi, Lars Zeepvat, Robert Zanolla, Kaden Howe, Connor Hurleigh, Seth Beardsley, Daniel Price, Kyle Ridpath, Liam Smith, and Charlie Weisman. An informant helped expose the operation, which allegedly involved packaging and distributing cocaine from fraternity houses to Penn State students. The case is being pursued by the Pennsylvania Attorney General.
A Penn State cocaine-trafficking investigation led to the withdrawal of Thomas Robinson's admission to New England Law Boston, despite a full-tuition O’Connor scholarship; authorities say he was a supplier in a fraternity drug operation, and his father—an attorney—faces related charges in the case.
Penn State student Agostino Abbatiello is alleged to have led a cocaine trafficking network involving about a dozen current and former students, many tied to the Delta Upsilon and Sigma Chi fraternities. Prosecutors say the operation used apps like Snapchat and Venmo to source, package, and distribute cocaine to pledges, with members increasingly taking on roles in 2023–2024. A December 2024 police raid on a Delta Upsilon room led to Abbatiello’s arrest and multiple felonies for him and others; Penn State has suspended the Delta Upsilon chapter and Sigma Chi condemned the conduct as egregious while investigations proceed.
Paul Robinson, father of Penn State student Thomas Robinson, claims he was handed a safe containing cash and cocaine while cleaning out his son’s Delta Upsilon fraternity room in December 2024; he says he didn’t know what was inside and did not take or flush any cocaine to protect his son. Thomas is among more than a dozen Penn State students charged in a cocaine-trafficking ring led by Agostino Abbatiello. Paul Robinson faces felony tampering and hindering apprehension charges for concealing evidence, while his lawyer says the allegations involve him personally and do not involve the law firm Meyer, Darragh, Buckler, Bebeneck & Eck.
Liberia charges former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor with drug trafficking, signaling renewed scrutiny of senior political figures amid ongoing legal probes.
Liberia's justice ministry has charged former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor with drug trafficking and money laundering after detaining her at Roberts International Airport; prosecutors say she illegally imported, sold and transported controlled drugs and helped facilitate trafficking, as part of a crackdown on transnational drug networks, with three foreign nationals charged in absentia as part of the same case.
Thomas Robinson, a Penn State Delta Upsilon member, mistook his own arrest for a prank, and the ensuing investigation exposed him as a leading figure in a cocaine trafficking network that has charged 13 other people, including his father.
Agostino Abbatiello, 24, allegedly led a cocaine-trafficking ring tied to two Penn State fraternities; he was arraigned and denied bail on multiple felony charges. Authorities say cocaine was packaged at the Delta Upsilon and Sigma Chi houses in 2023–2024, with 14 people charged—mostly current or former students. Abbatiello and 13 others face counts including possession with intent to deliver cocaine and conspiracy; co-defendant Thomas Robinson allegedly supplied the cocaine, and his father is charged with concealing evidence.
More than a dozen Penn State students allegedly ran a cocaine-trafficking ring centered at two off-campus fraternities, with 14 people charged (including four current students); two suppliers reportedly made regular trips to New York and Philadelphia for large quantities, and charges include felony corrupt organizations and conspiracy, while the fraternities Delta Upsilon and Sigma Chi face disciplinary actions.
Pennsylvania Attorney General announced charges against 14 individuals in a lengthy cocaine-trafficking investigation that authorities say involved two Penn State fraternities in Centre County, alleging the distribution of cocaine through a fraternity-linked network.
CHP stopped a 2025 Honda CR-V on the I-5 in Merced County on Aug. 12, uncovering about 30 pounds of cocaine valued at roughly $817,200; the driver was arrested for possession for sale and transportation of cocaine across non-contiguous counties, and the case has been turned over to the Merced Area Gang Narcotics Enforcement Team and remains under investigation.
Colombia’s new president Abelardo de la Espriella invites the Trump administration to extend its militarized anti-drug campaign into Colombia, as Bogotá joins a U.S.-led counter-cartel coalition; U.S. forces have targeted traffickers in the region and designated Colombian groups as terrorists, signaling a shift from Petro’s stance, though cocaine flows into the United States have not declined.
The United States announced a $1 billion security package to back Colombia’s new president Abelardo De La Espriella’s hardline crackdown on drug trafficking and armed groups, including coca eradication and regional security initiatives, though congressional backing and negotiations could dilute several measures.
Even after 67 boat strikes and 221 deaths, U.S. officials say the flow of cocaine into the country has not slowed; a DEA assessment and other officials say traffickers are adapting with bigger boats and aircraft, undermining traditional investigations and leaving supply and prices largely unchanged.