Seven arrested in alleged drug ring with ties to Rutgers University
Seven individuals have been taken into custody and charged in connection with an alleged drug ring operating through social media at Rutgers University, as per the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s office in New Jersey. Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone disclosed on Thursday that the arrests were made following an extensive investigation known as Operation RU Pharm.
The investigation, which spanned several months, brought to light a closed, private social media network utilized by students at Rutgers University for the buying and selling of narcotics. An alumnus of Rutgers was found to have created this network, where narcotics distributors could post menus of drugs and connect with buyers within the university community.
Individuals who could verify their association with Rutgers were permitted to join the network, peruse the drug menus, and engage with distributors to negotiate their purchases. The sting operation resulted in the confiscation of a substantial quantity of marijuana, LSD, cocaine, psilocybin mushrooms, Adderall, Xanax, a significant sum of U.S. currency, and a firearm.
Former Rutgers student Anudeep Revuri, 23, was charged with being a first-degree leader of a drug trafficking network. Additionally, Joshua Duffy, 20, Zachary Petersen, 22, Catherine Tierney, 23, David Nudelman, 20, Donovin Williams, 22, and Noa Lisimachio, 21, were all charged with at least one count of distributing a controlled substance.
Ciccone emphasized that the investigation is ongoing, urging anyone with relevant information to reach out to the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Task Force at 732-745-3300.
In a similar incident in 2020, a significant drug trafficking ring was dismantled involving fraternity members and students from the University of North Carolina and Duke University. Federal law enforcement authorities brought charges against 21 individuals after discovering the drug distribution network that spanned three college campuses.
The illicit drug operation implicated members of Phi Gamma Delta, Kappa Sigma, and Beta Theta Pi fraternities at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 2017 to the spring of 2020. The ring was responsible for trafficking over half a ton of marijuana, along with several hundred kilograms of cocaine and various other drugs into UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke University, and Appalachian State University.
Prosecutors estimated that profits from the trafficking scheme exceeded $1.5 million. Rutgers University has not yet responded to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Stepheny Price, a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, can be contacted for story tips and ideas at stepheny.price@fox.com.
