Pennsylvania AG asked whether Penn State could face action over alleged fraternity drug ring

Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday addressed whether his office would take action against Penn State after authorities uncovered an alleged cocaine trafficking ring running through the university’s fraternities.

Authorities said about 1 kilogram of cocaine moved through the drug operation every other month as part of what Sunday described at a news conference as an "upper-level trafficking organization." "This was a very sophisticated endeavor.

This wasn't just a couple kids at college who were sharing drugs with each other," Sunday told " The Story " Wednesday.

SUSPECT ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY RUNNING METH LAB AT MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY’S LARGEST ACADEMIC BUILDING "It was a lot of drugs, and it was done in a very serious and very sophisticated manner," the attorney general added.

Fourteen individuals, including current and former Penn State students, face felony or misdemeanor charges stemming from alleged illicit activity between 2023 and 2024.

Prosecutors identified Agostino Abbatiello , 24, and Thomas Robinson, 23, as the suspected ringleaders.

The alleged drug kingpins reportedly made regular trips to Philadelphia and New York to pick up "large quantities" of powder cocaine, arranged drug deals via Snapchat and accepted payments through Venmo.

"As the attorney general, obviously I have a lot of concern when you have organizations like this that run for as long as it did," Sunday told Fox News .

5 MEXICAN CARTEL BOSSES CHARGED IN WEAPONS, DRUG TRAFFICKING, TIMESHARE FRAUD SCHEMES, DOJ SAYS The attorney general said pledges at the Delta Upsilon and Sigma Chi fraternities were allegedly instructed to cut and package cocaine as part of their initiation, pointing to peer pressure as a factor in their involvement.

"When you're young … and this isn't an excuse, but, peer pressure is one of the most powerful forms of motivation in the world," Sunday said.

"And there's a lot of peer pressure that was involved here." MIAMI SECRET SERVICE AGENT CHARGED IN NEAR-DEADLY FRATERNITY HAZING, OFFICIALS SAY Penn State said it is "horrified" by the accusations and placed Delta Upsilon on interim suspension.

The university does not recognize Sigma Chi as an organization because the fraternity operates outside of the university’s oversight.

The allegations come nearly a decade after another fraternity-related case brought national scrutiny to Penn State.

In 2017, 19-year-old Tim Piazza died after being served excessive quantities of alcohol during a hazing incident at the Beta Theta Pi fraternity.