Grads of $35K-per-year prep school ran massive drug ring

Parent Cafe
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<p>wow!!</p>

<p><a href=“Grads of $35K-per-year prep school ran massive drug ring in tony Philadelphia suburbs: cops – New York Daily News”>http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/grads-tony-prep-school-ran-drug-ring-affluent-philadelphia-suburbs-police-article-1.1764056&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“Prep school drug ring busted; 11 arrested (photos) – The Mercury”>http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20140421/prep-school-drug-ring-busted-11-arrested-photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>I just heard about this on the radio @sybbie719‌, why are you surprised? </p>

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<p>Why aren’t you surprised? This may be a fluke. On the face of it, it could imply that it is more profitable to deal drugs than what you can earn with the best education. That’s alarming. </p>

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<p>I smell an “affluenza” defense in the making. </p>

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<p>Big time. </p>

<p>25+ years ago at my Big East university, all the kids I knew who were “connected” looked just like these boys…white, upper class…don’t know for sure if they went to prep schools but I do know they weren’t duking it out at the local public school. </p>

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<p>Not to make light of this operation, which I don’t condone, but does it really sound like much of a major deal to anyone here? See this quote from the article:</p>

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<p>Read more: <a href=“Grads of $35K-per-year prep school ran massive drug ring in tony Philadelphia suburbs: cops – New York Daily News”>Grads of $35K-per-year prep school ran massive drug ring in tony Philadelphia suburbs: cops – New York Daily News;

<p>So from NINE different locations, they found eight cellphones and two cars?? Why is that even relevant? Three guns - okay maybe they are properly licensed, so that is not a crime. $11,000 in cash among nine locations is not that much cash. And only 8 pounds of marijuana? It sounds like it was really a marijuana operation, and that is all they found from among nine locations?</p>

<p>It is a terrible thing that they are supplying high school kids, but it really doesn’t sound like a major operation, the way it was reported. Maybe there will be more to the story.</p>

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<p>I don’t know if 8 pounds is alot or not in this business. They did have a gun, AR something or other. That sounds seriuos to me. </p>

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<p>Nice to see them caught early when they were young and stupid. </p>

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<p>From what I perused on Wikipedia, there are no federal restrictions on AR-15 ownership, and they are legal in most states. We don’t know the state where the gun was seized, and there are probably thousands of young men in the US who legally own them, many of whom probably use marijuana, many legally, depending on where they live.</p>

<p>I realize that law enforcement seizes all of these types of items (guns, phones, cars, etc) to make their case, but if you look at what they got from a defense perspective, the physical evidence alone hardly adds up to a “massive” operation. </p>

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<p>Anyone care to offer odds on what kind of punishment these blokes will receive? A while back two Upper East Side “angels,” adults with prep school backgrounds (and probably trust funds, too) tossed some debris from a rooftop, seriously injuring a pedestrian below. Judge didn’t want to ruin THEIR lives so he imposed some spectacularly light punishment. </p>

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<p>Good point, LakeWashington. There is a very recent Daily Show interview with Matt Taibbi:</p>

<p><a href=“The Daily Show with Trevor Noah - TV Series | Comedy Central US”>The Daily Show with Trevor Noah - TV Series | Comedy Central US;

<p>where MT talks about the HSBC bank laundering drug money, and the difference in punishment between bank executives committing a horrendous offense, and not going to jail, and a guy on the street caught with a joint going to Rikers. He quoted a Federal law enforcement official who, when asked why these white collar criminals aren’t jailed, expressed horror - jails are dangerous!</p>

<p>Really worth watching.</p>

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<p>At roughly $200/oz street value for pot, that would be roughly $25K worth that they likely bought for about half of that. It’s not a big operation and they may get a sweetheart deal for rolling on their supplier. You would find kids like this at every wealthy, suburban school in the country.</p>

<p>They like to call AR-15s “assault” rifles, but they really are the same thing as a hunting rifle, just scarier looking because they are built to resemble soldiers’ weapons.</p>

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<p>This is what I have a problem with. About 30 years ago I met a man at a party who told me he did 7 years in prison for possessing a joint, and then years later the same crime became an infraction and he would have just paid a ticket.</p>

<p>This case seems to be about marijuana, which is now legal to buy and use in some states. It would be a shame to see lives ruined over something that trends indicate will become legal in the near future.</p>

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<p>Justice Department prepares for clemency requests from thousands of inmates
Attorney General Eric Holder announced Monday that the Justice Department anticipates receiving thousands of applications for clemency from non-violent drug offenders.
<a href=“http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/justice-department-prepares-for-clemency-requests-from-thousands-of-inmates/2014/04/21/43237688-c964-11e3-a75e-463587891b57_story.html”>http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/justice-department-prepares-for-clemency-requests-from-thousands-of-inmates/2014/04/21/43237688-c964-11e3-a75e-463587891b57_story.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>I don’t see the argument that we should lock these kids in prison and throw away the key because others would have that done to them. Seems more like if they’re let off lightly, others for the same crime should be let off lightly. </p>

<p>The charges are what? Drugs and potentially firearms? Do taxpayers really want to pay to keep them in prison? </p>

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<p>The street value of the pot, is likely less than $50,000. ( middling price for medical marijuana is $12 gm)
Dont ask me what the other drugs are worth.</p>

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<p>^And 11 people were arrested, so that averages to about $4,500 of pot per arrestee.</p>

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<p>What’s not been mentioned here is the number of lax players from the Haverford School that have dropped out early. At least two of these kids didn’t even complete 2 years of college, one only lasted a semester. I would not want to be the headmaster of Haverford today. I think they may have a big problem with their lacrosse program beyond just recruiting policies.</p>

<p>The tone of the texts they released also smacks of entitlement and greed. I realize that’s par for the course with teenagers who are dealing drugs, but it still bothers me.</p>

<p>Finally, one piece I read said the ringleaders were making hashish in one or both parents homes. I find it amazing that they could be doing all this with no knowledge on the part of the parents.</p>

<p>The public schools they were dealing in were in the most expensive, affluent areas of Philly. Many people believe TE and Lower Merion are better than the private schools on the main line. </p>

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<p>I have a friend who lets her high school son share his medical marijuana with his friends in their home. I don’t get it, but obviously it must not be uncommon. I think it has to do with the fact the many, maybe most people, don’t think marijuana is a big deal.</p>

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<p>At least one other kid who seemed to have a bright future has been arrested. <a href=“http://www.newsday.com/news/region-state/former-jericho-high-school-hoops-star-arrested-in-pa-drug-bust-1.7782115”>http://www.newsday.com/news/region-state/former-jericho-high-school-hoops-star-arrested-in-pa-drug-bust-1.7782115&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;