Four men, three of whom are UB students, were arrested in a drug raid Thursday Oct. 29 on Winspear Avenue in the University Heights.
Charles Wanderer, Philip Berg, Alexander Wiener and Zhe Wang, each 20 years old, were held at the Erie County Holding Center for arraignment. Wang is not a UB student, according to UB Spokesperson John Della Contrada. The Erie County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation.
Investigators found cocaine, marijuana and Xanax pills at the Winspear Avenue home. According to WKBW, the raid was part of a four-week investigation into drug purchases by youth in the town of Clarence, New York.
Wanderer and Wang have been charged with felony counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell and other drug-related charges. Berg and Wiener have been charged with criminal possession and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Because of federal privacy laws protecting student records, the university cannot comment on the proceedings, according to Della Contrada.
“Generally speaking, when there is a serious violation of UB’s student code of conduct, students are immediately suspended pending the outcome of the university’s judicial process,” Della Contrada said.
He said other UB students have been arrested during drug raids in the past, but it is a rare occurrence.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story said the four men were being held at the Erie Counting Holding Center, but the four have since been released.
Gabriela Julia is the senior news editor and can be reached at gabriela.julia@ubspectrum.com. Follow her on Twitter at @gabrielaajulia.
