Penn State Fraternity Brothers Allegedly Ran Cocaine Operation Using Snapchat and Cash Apps, Court Docs Claim

Fourteen men linked to Pennsylvania State University have been charged after local authorities say they dismantled a campus drug network in which fraternity brothers allegedly ran a cocaine operation using Snapchat and mobile payment apps.

Court documents released this week claim 24-year-old student Agostino Abbatiello was the suspected ringleader, allegedly overseeing the supply of drugs and handling incoming digital payments.

The newly unsealed filings state that the group relied on familiar social media platforms and cash apps to organise activity and receive money.

Detectives claim the students used these platforms to arrange handovers, communicate with suppliers and collect thousands of pounds in digital transactions.

Tracing the Digital Footprint of the Campus Drug Ring

A months-long investigation by local authorities began unravelling in 2024. In September of that year, police directed a confidential informant to locate the social media profile of 23-year-old Thomas Robinson.

The informant contacted Robinson through Snapchat to arrange a preliminary narcotics purchase.

Three months later, Robinson was arrested following community tips that he was accepting drug payments via Venmo using his legal name.

After his December 2024 arrest, Robinson cooperated with investigators and identified Abbatiello as the primary source of the campus cocaine supply.

Financial trails detailed in the criminal complaint outline the scale of the enterprise within the student body. One member of the Sigma Chi fraternity told investigators he regularly used his mobile phone to pay Abbatiello for narcotics.

This unnamed associate estimated his total digital payments to the suspected organiser reached approximately £24,000 ($30,000). The reliance on applications like Venmo left a digital footprint for financial crime investigators to follow.

Nearly all the criminal complaints filed against the men detail specific transactions involving the purchase, packaging and transportation of the drugs.

What Court Docs Claim About Snapchat and Cash Apps Drug Deals

Further testimonies presented to a grand jury set out the alleged mechanics of the drug handovers. Mohammed Huraibi, a 22-year-old student implicated in the wider network, testified under oath that he arranged a substantial purchase through Snapchat messages.

According to the filings, Huraibi and Robinson pooled their personal funds to buy roughly 100 grams of cocaine for £3,200 ($4,000). Abbatiello then allegedly brought the product to the Delta Upsilon fraternity house, handing the drugs to Huraibi in exchange for the cash.

For defendant Lars Zeepvat, involvement began, according to court documents, with a spring break holiday. Zeepvat told investigators Abbatiello loaned him £1,200 ($1,500) so he could join his fraternity brothers on a trip.

When Zeepvat could not repay the debt, Abbatiello allegedly required him to begin delivering cocaine across the campus as compensation. Zeepvat added in his statement that the suspected organiser frequently spoke to peers about the profits he generated from the enterprise.

The case has drawn attention within the university community as the legal process moves forward. Abbatiello surrendered to authorities on Tuesday and is currently being held in custody without bail.

His legal representative declined to provide any comment on the allegations when approached by journalists earlier this week. His father, Mario Abbatiello, told The Post on Tuesday: 'We have no comment. We have nothing to do with this. We have no comment.'