Former Wesleyan Student Pleads Guilty to Synthetic Drug Distribution

In February 2015, multiple Wesleyan University students were hospitalized after overdosing on a drug then believed to be MDMA, also known as “Molly.

Four students were arrested on charges of distribution. Eric Lonergan, a 23-year-old former student from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was expelled following the incident.

He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and to subsequently distribute MDMA, according to a press release from Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.

“This defendant trafficked in a drug that caused multiple overdoses and nearly took the life of one Wesleyan student,” said Daly.

The student’s heart stopped beating and he had to be revived.

How the Drug Was Distributed to Students

Longergan and Zachary Kramer were students at Wesleyan in Middletown. In November 2013, Longergan began selling “Molly” to students on or near the Wesleyan campus.

Lonergan regularly sold Molly from his dorm room, charging approximately $20 per 0.1 gram, or $200 per gram, according to Daly.

He counseled students on how to ingest Molly and other psychedelic drugs.

In 2014, the Wesleyan administration sent campus-wide communication warning of the dangers of ingesting controlled substances like Molly and Lonergan responded by distributing a pamphlet instructing students on the use of psychedelic drugs.

On Sept. 13, 2014, Lonergan was the source of Molly for several students who were planning what is referred to as a “rolling” party at Wesleyan, a party where people ingest Molly.

He provided several grams of a substance he represented to be MDMA, in bulk, and another student then distributed it to students in .01 gram capsules.

Several students were sick at the party, some seriously, after taking the substance Lonergan provided. Two were transported to the hospital after overdosing.

Lonergan sent message to several students assuring them that he had given them MDMA.

Capsule Turned Over to Police

“One of the students who became ill at the party saved one of the capsules she had purchased and turned it over to the Middletown Police in February 2015,” Daly said in the release. “A lab test on the contents of that capsule revealed that it did not contain MDMA, but contained two other controlled substances: AB Fubinaca, a Schedule I controlled substance, and 6-MAPB, an analogue of MDMA.”

Lonergan supplied Kramer with bulk quantities of MDMA from December 2014 on. Kramer became the primary MDMA supplier at Wesleyan University

In January 2015, Kramer purchased approximately 45 grams of MDMA from Lonergan.

The drug was separated into five and 10-gram bags and distributed to other students who planned to break down the MDMA into 0.1 gram capsules, sell those capsules to other Wesleyan students, and then pay Kramer for the quantity of the drug he had provided to them.

On Feb. 21, 2015, 11 people, including 10 Wesleyan students, overdosed on a substance they believed was MDMA and many of the students were in critical condition.

The students had all obtained the purported MDMA through individual distributers, who were supplied directly by Kramer.

“Although Kramer and some of his distributers destroyed the substance identified as Molly that they had in their possession, one of the distributers did not, and that substance was seized by law enforcement officers and sent to the toxicology laboratory for testing,” Daly said. “Laboratory analysis confirmed that the powdered substance contained AB Fubinaca.”

What is AB Fubinaca?

AB Fubinaca was originally developed by Pfizer as a painkiller but was never pursued for human consumption. In the United States and China, it is considered a controlled substance. In Germany, AB Fubinaca is illegal.

The charge of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute, and to distribute, MDMA carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years and a maximum fine of $1 million.

Lonergan is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant on February 25, 2016, in Hartford. He has been released on bond since his federal arrest on May 22.

On Nov. 12, Kramer pleaded guilty to the same charge. He is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Bryant on February 11, 2016.

‘Not Innocuous Party Drugs’

“As evidenced by this investigation and prosecution, Molly and other synthetic drugs are clearly not innocuous party drugs,” Daly said. “Students who use synthetic drugs can never be certain what they are ingesting. Wesleyan students who bought these drugs from this dorm-room chemist literally risked their lives by relying on his purported expertise. We thank the DEA, the Middlesex State’s Attorney’s Office and the Middletown Police Department for their collaboration and diligent work in this investigation.”

Related

• UPDATE: 11 Wesleyan Students Sent to Hospital; Possibly Overdosed on Drug Molly
• Middletown Police Looking Into Molly Drug Source
• Three Wesleyan Arrestees Arraigned in Molly Overdose Case
• Last Wesleyan Arrestee to be Arraigned Thursday in Molly Overdose Case
• Wesleyan Student Enters Plea in Molly Overdose Case
• Expelled Wesleyan Student Arrested After Trespassing at Campus Festival; Police
• Breaking News: Federal Charges Filed in Wesleyan Students Molly Overdose Case
• Alleged Synthetic Drug Sales at Wesleyan Result in Federal Charges Filed
• Former Wesleyan Student Pleads Guilty in Molly Overdose Case

(Photo of Eric Lonergan, courtesy of Middletown Police)