6 AU STUDENTS FACE CHARGES IN DRUG RING

Police Say More Arrests Likely

District police arrested six American University students Thursday in a
startling late-night raid of four dormitories, the climax of a two-month
undercover drug investigation initiated at the request of college officials.

The students, all undergraduate men at the private school in upper
Northwest Washington, were arraigned in D.C. Superior Court and charged
with intent to distribute marijuana or possession of marijuana or drug
paraphernalia. Officers also seized an undisclosed amount of drugs, $15,000
in cash and a car.

Authorities said that the students may face additional charges and that
police will likely make more arrests next week. They noted that they are
conducting an investigation of a suspected drug distribution network they
believe may have been supplying students at AU and other area colleges.

Police sources said they believe the network has been selling ecstasy and
opium, as well as marijuana, for several months.

University officials declined to say what prompted them to alert police.
"That's part of the investigation," said university spokesman Todd Sedmak.

Those arrested included Benjamin B. Gelt, 20, of Denver, charged with
possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and Benjamin J. Bregman,
19, of Pennsylvania, charged with possession of drug paraphernalia,
according to the U.S. Attorney's office. Those charged with possession of
marijuana were Aleksandar Radosauljevic, 19, of Pequannock, N.J.; Mati S.
Kerpen, 20, of Nassau County, N.Y.; and Benjamin Cole, 21, and John M.
Cleary, 19, whose home towns were not identified.

All six were released yesterday after being arraigned separately, according
to the U.S. attorney's office. Gelt, Cleary and Bregman, who were arraigned
back-to-back, declined to comment after leaving the courtroom. The other
three students were arraigned later and could not be reached for comment.

University officials said that four of the students have been barred from
campus but would not identify them.

American University students yesterday acknowledged a fair amount of casual
drug use at the century-old private campus but said they were stunned to
hear of any drug activities significant enough to draw Thursday's raid.

Derek Marshall, a freshman, said he assumed it was some kind of prank when
a swarm of District police officers -- some in ski masks -- came charging
through the McDowell Hall dormitory.

"I realized it wasn't a joke," he said, "when they ordered us to go back to
our rooms."

Bob Nardo, 19, a sophomore from Eugene, Ore., was also stunned by the
efficiency of the raids in Letts, Anderson and Leonard halls. "It seemed
like they had had things under surveillance and knew where they were
going," he said.

Gelt comes from a politically active Colorado family. His mother is a
Denver City Council member, and his father is a prominent lawyer and former
state Democratic chairman. The younger Gelt gained national attention in
1999 as an anti-violence activist following the Columbine High School
massacre. He appeared on TV shows and met with President Bill Clinton.

At a news conference last year about the Bush administration's approach to
anti-violence campaigns for youth, Gelt said, "It's time to get back to
teaching our children what's right."

Radosauljevic, a sophomore, loves music and was in the midst of changing
his major, his younger brother, Marco Radosauljevic, said yesterday.

"He's a good guy. He just made a stupid decision," said Marco
Radosauljevic, 17. He said he recently visited his brother, who roomed with
Kerpen, and was introduced to Gelt and Cole.

"They're all just really good friends," Radosauljevic said. "I guess
'idiots' is a good word now. . . . They're just looking to have a good
time. . . . These are just a bunch of regular college guys who happened to
get caught."

AU students expressed doubt that the university harbors much serious drug
abuse. "If you look at the results, we're doing well academically, we don't
have a lot of injuries or accidents," said Nardo.

Others expressed surprise about possible opium distribution.

"I haven't heard of anyone doing anything but pot," said Erin Murphy, 18,
from Florida.

"Like every college," added Alanna Schubach, 18, of Long Island, N.Y.

Clark Gregor, a spokesman for the Student Confederation, AU's undergraduate
student government, said student leaders are concerned about classmates'
rights following the drug busts.

But "these students were committing a crime," he said. "It's good that
there was enforcement and that they were caught."

The investigation was handled by the police department's 2nd District, with
assistance from the major narcotics unit. District Cmdr. Peter Newsham
declined to release information about the sting or the alleged drug network.

All the men were arrested on probable cause, which means D.C. police, when
executing a search warrant at the university, witnessed what they believed
to be a crime, according to Channing Phillips, spokesman for the U.S.
Attorney's Office.

Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey said such time-consuming stings are
generally only launched if police can get a lot of information and cooperation.

"We do some buy-bust operations, but if you really want to take your time
and find out who's involved [and] to what extent it does take a real
effort," he said.

Ramsey said investigators are certain AU students weren't the drug
network's only customers. "A drug trafficking operation, once it becomes
known, can draw people from a variety of places," he said.

David Taylor, chief of staff to AU President Benjamin Ladner, said
university officials brought their concerns to police at the end of the
fall semester and are pleased police took the matter so seriously.

He would not say whether the investigation was intended to send a warning
to students who use or sell drugs. But "inevitably," he said, "it's going
to send a message."