The explosive Penn State fraternity cocaine investigation is highlighting a broader concern in rural America: growing stimulant use among young people.
Last month, Pennsylvania’s attorney general announced that 14 men—most of them fraternity members—had been arrested in connection with an alleged cocaine operation run out of off-campus fraternity houses.
According to court documents, the alleged ringleader, 24-year-old Agostino Abbatiello, posted $250,000 bail and was released from jail on Sept. 2 after spending more than two weeks in custody.
As the investigation continues, Centre County Drug and Alcohol Administrator Catherine Arbogast said demand for powerful stimulants is increasing both on and around campus.
“What is being reported to us is that we have gone from just seeing opiates and opiate derivatives to also seeing more stimulant use,” she said.
Arbogast said the substances sought by young people extend beyond cocaine and prescription stimulants such as Adderall.
“We’re seeing methamphetamines, we’re seeing a variety of stimulants, we’re seeing prescription meds, we’re seeing synthetic medications—things that are being cooked up in laboratories,” she said.
Investigators said fraternity pledges in the Penn State case were allegedly pressured to cut and package cocaine as part of initiation rituals.
Drug mixing, often referred to as “cutting,” can create serious and potentially fatal risks for people who consume the substance.
“When people are buying drugs, they really don’t know what they’re getting because drugs are mixed, there are combinations of drugs, and so when they take something, they might be getting a stimulant, they might be getting an opioid, which is more of a depressant, or they might be getting a combination of the two,” Arbogast said.
The concern, however, reaches beyond college campuses.
“Stimulant use, opiate use, drug use is a pattern that is happening in rural communities across the state of Pennsylvania and across the United States,” Arbogast said. “It’s not something that just happens in big cities. It’s not something that just happens in more urban areas.”
Abbatiello has a scheduled court arraignment for Sept. 30.
Fox News Digital reached out to his attorney.
