Prince George’s County Police arrested a University of Maryland student and charged him with possession and intent to distribute illegal drugs after seizing 375 cartridges of THC from his College Park home last week.
The THC oil seized in the March 28 raid of a home in the 7500 block of Dickinson Avenue was in the form of cartridges meant to be used with vaping instruments, according to a police statement released Wednesday morning. Police charged senior communication major Brandon Kraut in connection with the drugs. If convicted, he faces up to a 5-year sentence.
Police conducted a contents search with permission of a resident in the house after police dogs alerted them of a controlled dangerous substance in a package at the post office, addressed to the Dickinson Avenue home. THC, the chemical compound found in marijuana, is illegal to possess in the state of Maryland.
Cartridges and vape pens can mask the smell of marijuana, giving the appearance users are vaping with legal substances, Major Timothy Muldoon, commander of the Narcotics Enforcement Division, said in a statement.
“As law enforcement and as a parent, I find it concerning because they could basically be using marijuana right under your nose,” Muldoon said.
Muldoon said the drugs were likely produced and shipped from a state where they are legal, such as Colorado.
Use, possession and distribution of illegal drugs are prohibited in the university’s Code of Student Conduct. The code of conduct extends to students off the campus, and police reports involving students may be forwarded to the university, according to the student conduct website.
Violations of the code of conduct could lead to a variety of punishments, such as expulsion or suspension.
Muldoon said PGPD is no longer investigating the crime’s connection to University of Maryland fraternities. Kraut is a member of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity.
While PGPD believes this is an isolated incident, the investigation is ongoing, Muldoon said.
Kraut was released on bond March 29 and will have a preliminary hearing in Prince George’s County Circuit Court on April 21, according to court documents.
