Fourteen men were arrested by state prosecutors for allegedly operating a cocaine ring out of off-campus fraternity houses.
Pledges were allegedly coerced to cut and pack cocaine during initiation rituals, investigators reported.
Alleged ringleader Agostino Abbatiello posted $250,000 bail on Sept. 2 after spending two weeks behind bars.
Abbatiello faces court arraignment on Sept. 30 as legal proceedings move forward.
Addressing changing drug trends, Centre County official Catherine Arbogast highlighted shifting substance patterns.
“What is being reported to us is that we have gone from just seeing opiates and opiate derivatives to also seeing more stimulant use,”.
Outlining illicit substances circulating locally, Arbogast detailed the range of lab-made compounds.
“We’re seeing methamphetamines, we’re seeing a variety of stimulants, we’re seeing prescription meds, we’re seeing synthetic medications—things that are being cooked up in laboratories,”.
Warning about unpredictable street mixtures, Arbogast emphasized severe risks facing buyers.
“When people are buying drugs, they really don’t know what they’re getting because drugs are mixed,”.
Stressing that substance abuse affects small towns, Arbogast discussed the broad reach of the crisis.
“Stimulant use, opiate use, drug use is a pattern that is happening in rural communities across the state of Pennsylvania and across the United States,”.