Ex-students of elite Conn. university charged in drug scandal

By Richard Weizel NEW HAVEN, Conn. (Reuters) - Two former students of Connecticut's elite Wesleyan University have been indicted by a federal grand jury for distributing hallucinogenic synthetic drugs that hospitalized 11 students in February, federal officials said on Friday. Eric Lonergan, 22, of Brazil, and Zachary Kramer, 21, of Maryland, face up to 40 years in prison and fines as high as $2 million after dealing synthetic marijuana and MDMA, or "molly," on campus, Connecticut U.S. Attorney Deirdre Daly said at a news conference. The two men pleaded not guilty before a judge on Friday afternoon in New Haven, and were released on $250,000 bail. Ten students and another person were hospitalized in late February after using what police at the time called a "bad batch of molly," also known popularly as ecstasy. Two of the patients were in critical condition and one nearly died, federal officials said. Investigators said distributors obtained the drugs from Kramer, who had taken over for Lonergan as the primary supplier of molly on the Wesleyan campus, according to the indictment. "Our hope is that this prosecution puts to bed the misperception that synthetic drugs are harmless party drugs," Daly said. "As the allegations in this indictment clearly show, these drugs are highly dangerous. The growth and evolution of synthetic drugs is a serious public health concern." Lonergan and Kramer have been expelled. Three other students were arrested in connection with the case, but they have not been charged. According to the indictment, Lonergan began purchasing and redistributing MDMA near Wesleyan in 2013 and regularly sold the drug from his dorm room before Kramer took over the business. The two are facing additional charges that could include up to 20 years in prison, and a $1 million fine, according to a press release from the attorney general's office. (Editing by Richard Valdmanis, David Gregorio and Steve Orlofsky)