Penn State Cocaine Ring Shuts Down, 14 Arrested
Authorities have arrested 14 individuals, including current and former Penn State students, for operating a cocaine trafficking ring that used cash‑app transfers and Snapchat to distribute drugs.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday and former acting DEA Administrator Derek Maltz said the operation was a “large‑scale” effort that threatened campus safety.
An undercover officer alleged that an officer raised concerns about using an alias, “Crooked Jess,” to purchase the narcotics, and the rest of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office team has apologized to that officer.
Jessica Straubel Sanchez, known as “Crooked Jess,” received $60 to buy crack cocaine in March, but vanished with the money and never returned, according to an arrest affidavit.
Police later located her at a residence, where she entered the backyard and did not appear back after an hour, a time the officer said was “more than a reasonable amount of time” for a drug transaction.
Investigators determined she had no intention of completing the deal and had kept the $60 for herself, the affidavit stated.
In addition to drug trafficking charges, “Crooked Jess” faces a possession‑of‑drug‑paraphernalia count after officers found fentanyl residue on foil hidden in her undergarments, the Smoking Gun reported.
Sean Joseph, a writer for OutKick, said the case highlighted the risks of undercover operations that rely on unreliable informants.
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office confirmed it would station deputies outside five polling locations after armed security guards were seen at a nearby site, a move unrelated to the cocaine case but announced on the same day.
The arrests underscore a broader crackdown on university‑linked drug rings, with law enforcement agencies pledging continued vigilance.
