Penn State Frat Pledges Allegedly Forced to Cut Cocaine in Drug Ring
Pennsylvania authorities have charged 14 people in connection with an alleged cocaine-trafficking ring run out of two off-campus Penn State University fraternity houses, where pledges were reportedly made to cut and package the drugs as part of their initiation. Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced the charges on Monday, saying the operation was an “upper-level trafficking organization for this region in Pennsylvania.”
The Alleged Operation
According to court documents detailed by AP News, the drug ring operated in 2023 and 2024, fueled by bulk quantities of cocaine that two of the charged men obtained from contacts in Philadelphia and New York. The drugs were cut and bagged mainly at the Sigma Chi and Delta Upsilon fraternity houses, using frat brothers and pledges as labor, then distributed primarily to Penn State students.
“This was a coordinated and highly-profitable drug-trafficking crew revolving around two senior members of the fraternities, other fraternity brothers, and pledges,” Sunday said at a news conference. “According to the evidence uncovered, cutting and packaging cocaine was, for some pledges, an indoctrination into the fraternities.”
Thirteen of the 14 defendants were current or former Penn State students at the time of the alleged crimes. At least four are still enrolled as current students, according to the attorney general’s office.
The Alleged Ringleaders
The man accused of leading the operation, 24-year-old Agostino Abbatiello of Westbury, New York, was a former Sigma Chi member. He failed to appear for his scheduled arraignment on Monday but surrendered to authorities on Tuesday. Magisterial District Judge Kelley Gillette-Walker ordered him jailed without bail, as reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Thomas Michael Robinson, 23, of Pittsburgh, was a Delta Upsilon member and the other alleged main supplier. After his arrest in December 2024, he told police he purchased cocaine from Abbatiello, including as much as one kilogram for $22,000 at a time. One witness said Abbatiello made up to $50,000 as a drug supplier.
Four people — Abbatiello, Robinson, Mohammed Huraibi, and Lars Zeepvat — face felony charges including corrupt organizations, conspiracy, and dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity. A fifth defendant, Robert Zanolla, is charged with felony conspiracy and criminal use of a communication facility. Eight other student-aged defendants face misdemeanor drug possession and paraphernalia charges.
The Investigation
The State College Police Department began investigating in September 2024, using informants to purchase drugs on several occasions, according to The Guardian. The two main suppliers made routine trips to Philadelphia and New York to acquire large quantities of cocaine, which were then packaged at the fraternity houses before distribution to students.
Paul Robinson, Thomas Robinson’s father, is charged with felony tampering, hindering apprehension, and obstructing the investigation. Authorities allege he provided a safe containing drugs and cash to conceal evidence. None of the alleged drug packaging occurred on Penn State University property; it was all done at off-campus fraternity houses. The majority of payments were in cash or through payment apps, according to the attorney general.
University and Fraternity Responses
Penn State placed Delta Upsilon on interim suspension while its Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response investigates. Sigma Chi is not a recognized student organization and operates outside the university’s oversight, according to Penn State’s official statement.
“We are horrified by these serious allegations against current and former students,” said Andrea Dowhower, Penn State’s vice president for Student Affairs. “Criminal activity, including hazing, such as this has no place at our institution, and we will cooperate with law enforcement in any way we can.”
Delta Upsilon Executive Director Justin Kirk said the individuals associated with the fraternity “have either been expelled, suspended or resigned.” Sigma Chi’s executive director, Michael Church, said the three Sigma Chi members who were charged have been suspended pending the outcome of the judicial process, and the fraternity has suspended all operations at its Penn State chapter on an interim basis.
Broader Context
The case adds to a troubled history of fraternity misconduct at Penn State. In 2017, Timothy Piazza, a 19-year-old sophomore, died following a hazing incident while pledging Beta Theta Pi. In 2024, two fraternity leaders were sentenced to prison for their roles in Piazza’s death, and his parents helped push for the passage of the federal “Stop Campus Hazing Act.” Since 2017, Penn State has fully suspended five fraternities, and in April 2026, the university suspended another fraternity for at least four years after investigating reports of hazing.
What’s Next
All 14 defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The next steps in the case will be preliminary hearings, according to Attorney General Sunday, who said after Abbatiello’s surrender: “We are pleased to report that the most significant members of this cocaine-trafficking organization are accounted for, and will have their fair process in court.”
As the fall semester approaches, Penn State has said it will enhance educational and hazing prevention efforts for all its organizations. The case continues to unfold as investigators determine whether additional charges, including hazing-related offenses, will be filed.