Two men from Long Island are facing charges after investigators linked them to an alleged Penn State University cocaine trafficking operation that dealt drugs to students in 2023 and 2024.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced charges related to the cocaine trafficking ring against 13 former and current Penn State students and the father of one student on Monday.
Prosecutors allege that 24-year-old Agostino Abbatiello, of Westbury, was "at the very top of the chain" of the operation. They say Robert Zanolla, of Manhasset, also played a role in the alleged drug ring while they went to the university.
Investigators say that Abbatiello and co-defendant Thomas Robinson regularly went to New York and Philadelphia to get large quantities of cocaine, which was then transported to the State College and sold primarily to Penn State students.
Authorities allege the cocaine was packaged and prepared for sale inside off-campus Delta Upsilon and Sigma Chi fraternity houses.
During a news conference, Sunday said fraternity brothers and pledges were involved in cutting and bagging the drugs, with some recruits allegedly taking part as part of their initiation into the organization.
"There's nothing junior or childlike about this type of conduct," Sunday said. "This was an upper-level trafficking organization for this region in Pennsylvania."
Authorities said Abbatiello had not been taken into custody, and a warrant had been issued for his arrest as of Monday afternoon.
Multiple witnesses who testified in front of the grand jury referred to Abbatiello as the largest dealer of cocaine to Penn State University students.
Zanolla was arraigned Monday and posted $250,000 bail.