Penn State University student from Westbury accused of leading cocaine trafficking ring
Prosecutors allege 24-year-old Agostino Abbatiello, of Westbury, was "at the very top of the chain" of the organization.
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A Penn State University student from Long Island is accused of leading a cocaine trafficking operation that dealt large qualities of drugs to students.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced charges related to the cocaine trafficking ring against 13 Penn State students and the father of one student on Monday.
Prosecutors allege 24-year-old Agostino Abbatiello, of Westbury, was "at the very top of the chain" of the organization.
Investigators say the Abbatiello and co-defendant Thomas Robinson regularly went to New York and Philadelphia to get large quantities of cocaine, which was then transported to State College and sold primarily to Penn State students.
Authorities allege the cocaine was packaged and prepared for sale inside off-campus Delta Upsilon and Sigma Chi fraternity houses.
During a news conference, Sunday said fraternity brothers and pledges were involved in cutting and bagging the drugs, with some recruits allegedly taking part as part of their initiation into the organization.
"There's nothing junior or childlike about this type of conduct," Sunday said. "This was an upper-level trafficking organization for this region in Pennsylvania."
Authorities said Abbatiello had not been taken into custody, and a warrant had been issued for his arrest as of Monday afternoon.
