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The explosive Penn State fraternity coke bust has laid bare a terrifying trend creeping across rural America: young people are increasingly turning to stimulants.
Last month, the Pennsylvania State Attorney General broke the news that 14 men – most of them frat brothers – were arrested for allegedly operating a massive cocaine ring from off-campus frat houses.
Court documents reveal the alleged kingpin, Agostino Abbatiello, 24, posted a $250,000 bail and was released from jail on Sept. 2, after spending more than two weeks behind bars.
Agostino Abbatiello arrives at Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte, Pa., Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. Abbatiello is accused of masterminding a cocaine ring at Penn State University. (Kamil Krzaczynski for Digital)
As the case heats up, Centre County Drug and Alcohol Administrator Catherine Arbogast said young people are looking for stronger stimulants on and off campus.
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“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.
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Arbogast explains it’s not just cocaine or even Adderall that young people are on the market for.
Agostino Abbatiello arrives at Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte, Pa., Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. Abbatiello is accused of masterminding a cocaine ring at Penn State University. (Kamil Krzaczynski for Digital)
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“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.
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In the Penn State case, frat pledges were allegedly coerced to cut and pack cocaine as part of initiation rituals, investigators said.
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Six men are among 14 facing charges in the alleged Penn State fraternity coke ring off campus. (Getty Images: GRICHKA BEYSSON-LEANDRI; Pennsylvania OAG)
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It’s the “cutting” or mixing of the drug that when consumed, can lead to deadly consequences for the user.
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“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.
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Penn State fraternity brothers and others are facing charges in an alleged off-campus coke ring. (Getty Images: GRICHKA BEYSSON-LEANDRI)
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But it’s not just college students who are looking for a fix.
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“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.”
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Abbatiello has a scheduled court arraignment for Sept. 30.
Digital reached out to his attorney.
