Penn State Fraternity Pledges Allegedly Forced to Process Cocaine for Campus Drug Ring

Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced charges on Monday against 14 individuals, including 13 current or former Penn State students, in connection with an alleged cocaine trafficking operation that operated out of two off-campus fraternity houses.

According to court documents, the ring operated during 2023 and 2024, with bulk cocaine supplied by two of the charged men from contacts in Philadelphia and New York. The drugs were cut and packaged primarily at the Sigma Chi and Delta Upsilon fraternity houses, where fraternity brothers and pledges were reportedly used as labor. The finished product was then distributed through Penn State students.

One of the men allegedly described a co-defendant as the "largest distributor of cocaine" at Penn State, saying the individual would "boast about how much money he was making from selling cocaine."

Sunday called the operation "an upper-level trafficking organization for this region in Pennsylvania," emphasizing the seriousness of the conduct. Four people face felony charges including conspiracy, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity, and corrupt organizations. Another defendant is charged with felony conspiracy and criminal use of a communication facility. Eight others face misdemeanor drug possession charges, and the father of one student is accused of tampering with evidence and hindering the investigation.

At least four of the defendants are current students, according to the attorney general's office.

Penn State has placed Delta Upsilon on interim suspension, while Sigma Chi is not recognized by the university and therefore not subject to its oversight. Delta Upsilon's executive director, Justin Kirk, said that any member involved in the drug ring was expelled or suspended if they did not resign. Sigma Chi's national headquarters did not respond to a request for comment.