Federal authorities investigating the sale of illegal drugs on the internet have arrested a University of Minnesota bioscience student, accusing him of trafficking Ecstasy from his dorm room.
Feds arrest U student accused of trafficking Ecstasy from his dorm room
Spencer Nichols, 18, faces charges of a first-degree drug sale of 50 or more grams of a narcotic in a 90-day span, plus second-degree drug possession.
February 25, 2017 at 5:27AM
Spencer Nichols, 18, faces charges of a first-degree drug sale of 50 or more grams of a narcotic in a 90-day span, plus second-degree drug possession. The charges were outlined in a criminal complaint filed this week in Hennepin County District court.
Nichols, who was being held in lieu of $75,000 bail, made his initial court appearance on Friday afternoon.
The complaint said that the first-year student was arrested earlier this week by U.S. Department of Homeland Security agents, assisted by university police, following a probe into drug sales on a hidden part of the internet sometimes known as the dark web.
It was not clear from the complaint what led authorities to Nichols. The Rochester native was in his first semester on campus, according to online records.
According to the charges, Nichols gave authorities permission to search his dorm room at Centennial Hall, where they found $26,950 in cash, a vacuum sealer, vacuum sealer bags and two digital scales.
Investigators also intercepted a package addressed to his dorm room that contained about 54 grams of Ecstasy, sometimes known as "Molly," the complaint said.
Libor Jany • 612-673-4064 Twitter:@StribJany
