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Columbia University Drug Bust Nabs 5 Students

By Laura Strachan, Esq. on December 08, 2010 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Columbia University, the New York-based Ivy League school, is making news for something other than their stellar academics. Five students, all 20-year-old men, have been arrested and charged with felony drug sales in a recent drug bust. The students were a part of an undercover investigation, aptly titled "Operation Ivy League" in which undercover agents used anonymous tips to buy more than $11,000 worth of drugs since last summer.

In addition to supplying large quantities of drugs to fellow students and others, the range of drugs sold was extensive: marijuana, cocaine, LSD, ecstasy and Adderall. The majority of the sales took place in the common areas and bedrooms of University-sponsored fraternity houses. Investigators also have video footage of each student making a drug sale. One student told police that he had to sell drugs in order to pay for tuition.

"The alleged behavior of the students involved in the incident goes against not only state and federal law but University policy and the principles we have set and strive together to maintain for our community," The New York Times quotes a statement from the University.

For now, all five Columbia students have been released on bail (ranging from $30,000 to $75,000) while police continue to investigate the extent of the operation. All five students in the Columbia University drug bust have plead not guilty to the charges. Three men suspected of supplying the drugs have also been placed under arrest.

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