Columbia Drug Bust Suspects Say They Sold Drugs To Pay For School (PHOTOS)

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The five Columbia students arrested in yesterday's campus drug bust pleaded not guilty to charges in court.

Harrison David, Chris Coles, Jose Perez (alias Stephan Vincenzo) and Adam Klein, all 20, along with Michael Wymbs, 22, have been charged with selling LSD, pot, cocaine, Adderall and MDMA, according to police.

Their arrests were the culmination of a five-month undercover sting, during which police purchased $11,000 worth of drugs from the students out of Columbia fraternity houses and dorms.

Amid the ongoing investigation, more details about the charged students have emerged. According to the Columbia Daily Spectator, Chris Coles told police that he sold drugs to "pay tuition." Harrison David had earlier told a detective that he participated in the illegal trade because his father would not pay for school.

Jose Perez is a prestigious Gates Millenium Scholar and, according to Bloomberg, has "limited financial ability." Bloomberg also reports that Michael Wymbs had a previously clean record and a 3.5 GPA. He worked one summer as a cancer research biostatician and is in the midst of applying to graduate school.

Different bail amounts were set for each student, the highest being for Harrison David at $75,000. According to the Spectator, only Michael Wymbs was prepared to post his bail, set at $25,000; the other students were scheduled to be taken to Rikers Island last night.

NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly told the Wall Street Journal that this bust was "the biggest [at a college] in recent memory." The sting, titled "Operation Ivy League," began after a tip from a confidential source.

Columbia Dean of Student Affairs Kevin Shollenberger sent an e-mail to students last night assuring them that the school was taking the matter "very seriously."

The suspects face possible expulsion from the school.

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A New York City police officer escorts Columbia University student Harrison David, center, from the 25th Precinct in Manhattan after he and four other students were arrested on Tuesday Dec. 7, 2010, in New York. Authorities say the five Columbia University students sold LSD-spiked candy and a full menu of other drugs at three fraternity houses and other residences on the Ivy League campus, where it was believed at least one of the suspects was using the drug money for school expenses.(AP Photo/Tina Fineberg)

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A New York City police officer escorts Columbia University student Harrison David, center, from the 25th Precinct in Manhattan after he and four other students were arrested on Tuesday Dec. 7, 2010, in New York. Authorities say the five Columbia University students sold LSD-spiked candy and a full menu of other drugs at three fraternity houses and other residences on the Ivy League campus, where it was believed at least one of the suspects was using the drug money for school expenses.(AP Photo/Tina Fineberg)

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Comments

[jennifer213]

10:57 PM on 02/06/2011

In 2004 or 2005 a white female student attending NYU was busted for selling drugs from her dorm as part of a sting operation. She served no time and was sent to a "rehabilitation center." I wonder if these students are being targeted because they go to an ivy league school. The name of the operation kind of makes me think that the answer is YES.

[Paul Romon]

03:14 PM on 01/11/2011

they were selling the wrong drugs if they "wanted to pay for college" try heroin

[sonnytsn]

04:55 PM on 12/17/2010

only time those cops decided to attend a college....

[Reyeshawk13]

12:37 AM on 12/22/2010

Ig.nor.ance in action. Most police departments require a college degree to even apply to the academy.

[Karen Schneiderman]

05:02 PM on 12/14/2010

School claims its a set up, but they sold LSD-laced Altoids mints and Sweetarts candy.

[davidfamilyfriend]

07:19 PM on 12/10/2010

I am a close friend of the David family. I know how much love Dave has for his son, how much he has sacrificed for his kids, and how much he has always tried to instill in them values that have nothing to do with drugs or money. I am sorry for Harrison who has no idea of how much paid he has caused his family, friends, or Columbia University. Whether he is guilty or not, I am sorry that his life will forever be marred by this unfortunate series of events--rightly or wrongly. I am sorry for Dave who is a wonderful man who has devoted every ounce of his being to raising his children. This is no dead-beat dad. So, I am sorry that he is being painted in that light. Lastly, I am sorry for our need as a society to turn this matter into a parody but especially sorry that we have turned it into an issue of race and class. The way I see it, we are damned if we do and damned if we don't. If we provide our kids with opportunities, we are "elitists". If we don't, we are "deadbeats". If they do well, they are "privileged". If not, they are "losers". I am sorry that passing judgment is part of our culture, but I especially sorry that we have no shame in doing it. To the David family--I am praying for you.

[fumes]

03:57 PM on 12/10/2010

we must stop this criminal behavior..

arrest those cops!

[checch]

12:17 PM on 12/10/2010

Wow!The NYPD's biggest drug sting in history. What a sham! You can buy drugs in any club in NYC, any night of the week. Or for that matter on any college or prestigious prep school in the USA. What a waste of time and money. Who in the Bloomberg Administration authorized this GIGANTIC bust? Four college students selling recreational drugs to other college students. Is this a bad reality TV show? Wasn't this on MTV last year? Yeah,These kids were real big time drug dealers from 110 st. to the SIA and across campus to Barnard and up to Teachers College! It must have been time for a few sound and video bits for the NYPD. Hey guys and girls get back to the donut shop, that's where you do your best work.There is more underage drinking on college camouses than drug use. Another chapter in the sad state of the the USA. Viva the Tea Party and Rush "the viagra guy"Limbaugh,yeah right.

[stevenmitchell]

09:27 AM on 12/11/2010

Well said. It's absolutely unconscionable. And if NYPD handles it correctly it could be very effective publicity for Mayor Bloomberg's potential campaign for the presidency.

[Marcus01]

06:38 PM on 12/09/2010

Judging from the photos, these guys were major drug traffickers who deserve to have the full weight of the law brought down upon them. (Snark)

Stupid, ignorant, and destructive drug laws. When will it end?

[hearhear88]

12:49 PM on 12/09/2010

they sold drugs, recreational non addictive drugs. and adderall, something as a recent grad, I can tel you is very very popular as an aide for coursework. So now we ruin the rest of their lives? but why? To prove a point to all the over drug users...but all it proves is that they now need to look somewhere else for their purchases. Come on, it is so naive to think that these are some bad apples who were corrupting Columbia's youth. If anything, they are true capitalist who are profiting of an already existing market. Probably even learned some tricks of the trade from a business class taken at the university. Okay, so they shouldn't just be left without any punishment, but they shouldn't have a pointless life altering sentence which doesn't change a thing about the society, and just prolongs our backwards approach to the drug culture.

[hearhear88]

12:57 PM on 12/09/2010

okay, so yes, cocaine is addictive. but not the way that our education would like to us believe it is. anyone with any real experience on the subject knows how flawed our drug education is, and how that same education fuels the kind of judgement of prolonged life-ruining prison punishment

[InfinteShibumi]

04:40 PM on 12/09/2010

Okay, then let's discuss punishment and penalties for crack vs. cocaine shall we? That'll open up a HUGE can of worms...

[hearhear88]

08:26 PM on 12/09/2010

i mean, there are a lot of fundamental problems with the way we approach drugs... thats another good example

[DessLoch]

04:59 AM on 12/09/2010

And the inequality is playing out already. New York news is reporting that Klein and Wymbs made bail immediately. They are both wealthy white boys. Coles the black guy quoted as saying he did it to pay tuition, and Perez the hispanic guy who is a Gates Millenium scholar (an amazing and rare, high achievement) did not make bail. They will likely be stuck with public defenders and not see the light of day for some time. Klein and Wymbs will probably be defended by some of those Madison Ave $600/hour attorneys and will probably never spend a night in jail. Will be back at another University within a year as even an arrest/trial won't impact them if they can pay full tuition.
For Coles and Wymbs they can forget future financial aid and an education of this caliber in their future. I'm sure Bill Gates will withdraw support and they are automatically disqualified from Federal funding post-arrest and most finaid programs won't touch anyone without that backing.

The Harrison David kid apparently could afford it but said his dad refused to pay tuition, no word on if his dad will pay to keep him out of jail.
But the black and hispanic kid should have known better than to take such risks. CU seniors are often offered 75k for NYC jobs. Excons are offered bu tk us.

[zuckerman]

06:53 AM on 12/09/2010

true, but you also surely know that as a Gates Scholar, Perez's schooling is already paid for in full. And it's a renewable scholarship, and, if I'm not mistaken, can be renewed even through post-graduate study. He *needed* the money from selling drugs?

[hereinmiami]

09:32 AM on 12/16/2010

I completely agree with you that here, as throughout the criminal justice system, racial inequality is in full effect. but i just want to say that your assumption that all public defenders are crappy lawyers is really off base. There are some states where its really bad (in texas, for example, there is no system of public defender offices where people are trained, its just something every lawyer has to do every once in a while and subsequently you get lawyers who have no idea what they're doing and no motivation) and most public defenders are overworked; but many of them are passionate about what they do, many of them come from top schools, and many of them do amazing work, despite facing vilification from across the political spectrum. It seems to me PDs are a mix of progressives, Christians, smart people who come from the communities they serve, and young lawyers who are hungry for trial experience. The person you REALLY do not want as your lawyer is the affordable private defense attorney. People who are not quite poor enough to qualify for a public defender but don't have the big bucks to hire a really good lawyer are the ones really getting screwed, I think.(full disclosure: my partner is a public defender!)

[joeyfoto]

09:25 PM on 12/08/2010

Here's another victory for the "War on Drugs."

That's two billion dollars a year, down the rat-hole, of debt. America adamantly refuses to make any rational decisions about drugs... so the dead-beat goes on...

[BobbysGirl]

09:22 PM on 12/08/2010

#1) They broke the law and should be punished. #2) The Gates Scholar did not have to raise any money for tuition or other expenses. 3) These young men did not belong in "community college"; if you have what it takes to be accepted into such a prestigious (and competitive) university, that is exactly where you belong. i.e. You are Ivy material, but you should attend community college...um, I don't think so! 4) Columbia is the most expensive Ivy because it is in NYC; about $59,000 a year now for tuition, room and board, & fees. 5) Middle class students don't qualify for much aid, and Ivies don't give ANY scholarships. If you win outside scholarships, the university adjusts your "grant" (based on your family's income) so your bill stays the same. The amount you owe basically remains the same, with or without scholarships.
I'm not complaining. We are thrilled that my son attends Columbia! It is a blessing to see what you can accomplish through a good mind and hard work.
That said, it is sad to think of what these young men have thrown away.
However, the sad reality is if you are wealthy, you can afford the best school for which you are qualified; if you are in a low income base, you will attend for free (anyone who makes under $60,000 attends any Ivy for FREE), but if you are middle class, you will pay. Sucks to be middle class in America today!

[JStading]

02:21 AM on 12/09/2010

3) These young men did not belong in "community college"; if you have what it takes to be accepted into such a prestigiou­s (and competitiv­e) university­, that is exactly where you belong. i.e. You are Ivy material, but you should attend community college...­um, I don't think so!

Actually, they did belong in a community college or state school if they had to sell drugs to go to Columbia.  I love the "we spare no expenses for education" attitude - namely because it makes no sense.  If education were viewed as any other value added commodity, no one would buy into these ultra expensive private schools (and I say this as someone who went to a very similar school).  A kid who goes to community college, saving the $100,000 in the process, would essentially have given themselves a free MBA or graduate degree.  Which is better, a kid with a BA from Columbia/NYU/GWU/Georgetown, or a kid with a BA from a state school with community college credit and a masters?  It's obviously the latter, particularly when considering that both will walk with the same debt.

[BobbysGirl]

08:38 PM on 12/09/2010

Actually, an Ivy degree is worth much more considering the likelihood that an employer will then reimburse tuition for grad. school. Top-notch employers pay for graduate school which will also most likely be a prestigious university. So it's a win-win situation. It's sad to think that you went to a very similar school and had to pay for an advanced degree (if this is the case). I went to a state university and even my master's was reimbursed 100%.

[LorisLoris]

08:50 PM on 12/08/2010

This is so sad. I know one of these kids (from high school) and word on the street is his parents cut him off which is why he resorted to selling drugs. I can't believe he would have been this stupid.

[Alexander314]

08:48 PM on 12/08/2010

Happens all of the time in cities across the country. Young people looking to make a quick buck to survive on end up in our corporate prison system...most of them didn't get the opportunities that these kids got. While i agree with most of the posters on here regarding the ridiculous nature of our drug laws, can't say that I feel bad for these kids...at least not worse than I feel for the countless other youth that are fed to the prison system on a daily basis. Those kids are the ones that never had "opportunity" and whose educations were conducted in a steel trap with a revolving door.

[Heyyo]

08:20 PM on 12/08/2010

“cocaine, marijuana, ecstasy, Adderall and LSD”

What do all these have in common?

They cause significantly fewer deaths per user than either alcohol or tobacco!

When will the United States learn that the drug war is seriously misguided and hypocritical? And that prohibition causes the terrible network of global crime that is ravaging Mexico, Colombia and inner cities throughout the world?

Annual deaths in the US:

LSD: 0
Marijuana: 0
MDMA (popularly known as ecstasy): fewer than 100, about 10 attributed to this substance alone
Cocaine: fewer than 1000 (over 80% result from a mix of alcohol and cocaine)
ALCOHOL and TOBACCO: HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS