CD2 also stated that most drug transactions occurred around fraternity events, and bigger events required larger amounts of narcotics. CD2 said he felt safe doing so because most transactions took place at the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house behind closed doors. Illustrations of the type of activity, taken from court documents, include:Ī cooperating defendant (CD2) described regularly supplying cocaine to “Chase” (later identified as defendant Charles Poindexter), who sold only to fraternity members. The distribution of hard drugs was pervasive in and around certain fraternities. OCHOA pleaded guilty to the indictment On November 24, 2020, he was sentenced to 73 months imprisonment, 5 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $250,000 forfeiture judgment. The investigation revealed that payment for drugs was made using Venmo and by sending cash through the U.S. Law enforcement operations at locations associated with the subject in Carrboro and Hillsborough resulted in seizure of 148.75 pounds of marihuana, 442 grams of cocaine, 189 Xanax pills, steroids, human growth hormone, other narcotics, and approximately $27,775.00 in U.S. According to documents filed in court, from March 2017 until March 22, 2019, OCHOA supplied approximately 200 pounds of marihuana and two kilograms of cocaine weekly to a cooperating defendant in Orange County. One primary supplier was the first person charged as a result of the investigation, FRANCISCO JAVIER OCHOA, JR., age 27, of Turlock, CA, who was indicted in November 2019 for conspiracy to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine and conspiracy to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana. Other proceeds, estimated to be approximately 1.3 million dollars, transferred hands through financial institutions utilizing money orders, Western Union, and mobile payment applications. Involved parties shipped bulk cash proceeds from illegal drug transactions through the USPS. Postal Service (USPS) and transporting marihuana by motor vehicle. Ultimately, investigators discovered that individuals were shipping cocaine from California via the U.S. Estimates of the total drug proceeds are not presently available, but they exceeded 1.5 million dollars.Īccording to documents filed in court, investigators utilized information from cooperating sources and cooperating defendants, and investigative methods such as controlled purchases, undercover purchases, financial investigation, surveillance, and analysis of electronic devices. Over the course of several years, the drug ring funneled over a thousand pounds of marijuana, several hundred kilograms of cocaine, and significant quantities of other drugs into these college campuses. Court filings to date specifically allege illegal drug activity involving the UNC chapters of Phi Gamma Delta, Kappa Sigma, and Beta Theta Pi occurring between 2017 and the spring of 2020. It became clear early in the investigation that illegal drug distribution occurred at or near some UNC fraternal organization properties. In November 2018, agents and officers assigned to the DEA’s Raleigh District Office initiated an investigation into the distribution of cocaine hydrochloride and other illegal drugs in the Chapel Hill area. While working a drug case several years ago, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office received information about the sale of illegal drugs on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). Blackwood, Sheriff of Orange County, North Carolina, held a press conference today to discuss the investigation. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the DEA, and Charles S. Martin, United States Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina, Robert J. The drug trafficking investigation, conducted by a United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) task force and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, revealed drug activity involving members of several fraternal organizations at universities in the state. – Twenty-one people face federal charges as a result of a lengthy investigation into the sale of narcotics on or near college campuses in North Carolina.
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