Three fraternities were suspended by UNC on Friday following the arrests
On Thursday prosecutors and sheriffs announced they had broken up a cartel
21 people have been arrested since July as part of the drug operation sting
The suspects range in age from 22 and 35; many were based in North Carolina
They include current and former students from Duke and UNC Chapel Hill
Together, they sold over $1.5million of cocaine and marijuana, prosecutors said
Prosecutors say they are hardened drug dealers with brazen attitudes
Many of the suspects have prior arrests and have already graduated
Some of the most serious charges carry sentences of 10 years to life
By Sarah Tate
Dec 17, 2020
More than 20 current and former students at Duke University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Appalachian State University have been arrested since July for dealing drugs, prosecutors announced Thursday (December 17).
Between 2017 and 2020, at least 21 people between the ages of 21 and 35 took part in a large-scale drug operation where police said they peddled thousands of pounds of marijuana, cocaine, and other drugs. Orange County Sheriff
Charles Blackwood was surprised by the amount of drugs on the campuses, and said the investigation unfolded unlike any other case I have seen.
According to the
Daily Mail, prosecutors claim the contraband was shipped through the postal service from California and distributed around college campuses in North Carolina. Multiple former fraternity students allegedly purchased cocaine, marijuana, Xanax, and MDMA, with at least one member reportedly selling to his frat brothers. In total, prosecutors
Updated December 18, 2020 4:30 p.m. EST
By Sarah Krueger, WRAL Durham reporter
Hillsborough, N.C. Federal prosecutors and local law enforcement announced a bust Thursday of a drug trafficking ring that funneled more than a thousand pounds of marijuana, hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and other drugs throughout the campuses of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University and Appalachian State University.
More than $1.5 million in drug sales were made from 2017 to 2020 by the defendants, according to court records.
Matt Martin, U.S. attorney for the middle district of North Carolina, and Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood expressed surprise and dismay at the amount of narcotics being moved on college campuses and the attitude of those involved.