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Beyond the 806

Penn State cocaine bust nets 14 arrests over alleged pledge coke-cutting ‘indoctrination' rituals - Fox News

Penn State cocaine bust nets 14 arrests over alleged pledge coke-cutting ‘indoctrination' rituals - Fox News

Fourteen people, mostly students, got busted at Penn State for running a massive cocaine ring, even using pledge rituals to cut drugs.

The sheer scale of this alleged trafficking, with students as key players, raises serious questions about oversight and accountability in campus organizations. For anyone with a student at a big university, or just living near a college campus like ours here in Lubbock, its a jarring look at the darker side of campus culture. This bust highlights how quickly the pressure to belong or make money can escalate into major criminal activity. These issues aren't confined to specific regions. They can impact everyone from freshmen living off 19th Street to parents watching their kids head to campus from Raintree.

One alleged ringleader, Agostino Abbatiello, remains at large, making this already wild story even more unsettling.

Common questions

What happened at Penn State?

Fourteen people, mostly students, were arrested at Penn State for running a cocaine ring. The operation spanned 2023 and 2024, involving alleged pledge rituals for drug cutting and two off-campus fraternities. Thirteen students and one student's father face charges.

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