RALEIGH, NC (AP) – The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill announced on Friday that it has suspended three fraternities linked to a drug trafficking ring that federal prosecutors say has funneled large amounts of drugs to three college campuses.
The US law firm in Greensboro announced on Thursday that 21 people were charged in connection with the ring following an investigation by the US Drug Enforcement Administration and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
In a statement, UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz said the findings prompt the university to take “swift action” to combat behaviors he believes endanger student health and public health.
“Today, UNC-Chapel Hill has suspended the university’s recognition of the campus chapters of Phi Gamma Delta, Kappa Sigma and Beta Theta Pi due to the alleged activity cited in the ongoing investigation,” Guskiewicz wrote. “We are taking swift action today because the seriousness of the alleged criminal behavior violates our code of conduct and endangers the health of our students and community.”
Guskiewicz said the university continues to work with law enforcement officials.
According to court documents, the illegal drug activity in the three fraternities took place between 2017 and spring 2020.
When US attorney Matthew GT Martin announced the federal indictment on Thursday, he said that more than 450 pounds of marijuana was disposed of, along with hundreds of pounds of cocaine and significant amounts of other drugs.
Prosecutors say the drugs were distributed to UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke University and Appalachian State University. The drug ring made at least $ 1.5 million in recent years, researchers said.
The suspects vary in age from 21 to 35, with the majority in their mid-twenties. It is unclear how many students are or were at any of these three schools, but Guskiewicz said none of the defendants is currently enrolled at UNC-Chapel Hill.
“No one is above the law, including students and fraternity members from elite universities,” Martin said in a statement Thursday. “This serious drug trafficking is destructive and reckless, and many lives have been ruined. … University administrators and national departments should not ignore the impact on these students and the environment on their respective college campuses.”
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Anderson is a corps member of the Associated Press / Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a national nonprofit service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on hidden issues.