Rutgers Alum Charged As Leader Of Campus Drug Ring

India-West News Desk

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ – Anudeep Revuri, a 23-year-old Rutgers University alumnus, has been charged with leading a sophisticated drug trafficking network that allegedly catered to students through a private social media app. Prosecutors in Middlesex County, say the Indian American developed the platform, which allowed drug distributors to post menus of narcotics and solicit buyers within the Rutgers community.

“Rutgers students who established their affiliation with the school were allowed to join the network,” said Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone, who led the months-long investigation dubbed Operation RU Pharm. “Once given access, they could browse menus posted by distributors and negotiate purchases.”

Authorities said the operation resulted in the seizure of marijuana, LSD, cocaine, psilocybin mushrooms, Adderall, Xanax, a firearm, and an undisclosed amount of cash.

Revuri faces charges of leading a drug trafficking network and conspiracy to commit drug distribution. His attorney, Jason Seidman, stated that Revuri merely created an online chatroom that others exploited to facilitate drug sales, the New York Post reported.

The ring also involved six Rutgers students: Joshua Duffy and David Nudelman, both 20; Noa Lisimachio, 21; Zachary Petersen and Donovin Williams, both 22; and Catherine Tierney, 23. Charges against the group include money laundering, possession, and distribution of controlled dangerous substances, with one defendant accused of dealing drugs within a school zone.

The clandestine social media network allegedly allowed distributors to advertise and sell narcotics such as marijuana, LSD, and cocaine directly to Rutgers students. Ciccone described the app as a closed ecosystem designed to operate within the university community.

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