Wesleyan University students arrested after mass Molly overdose

Two students who overdosed on the drug are still in the hospital

(Getty Images)

Four students at Wesleyan University have been arrested in connection with a mass overdose of the designer drug known as Molly that sent 12 students to the hospital. Two of the students remain in the hospital.

Wesleyan students Eric Lonergan, 21, Andrew Olson, 20, Zachary Kramer, 21, and Rama Agha Al Nakib, 20, were arrested on Tuesday on drug charges, according to NBC News. Police said none of the students arrested were among those who overdosed.

The students have been suspended from school, pending a hearing.

“We take very seriously allegations concerning the distribution of dangerous drugs, and the university will continue to cooperate with state and local officials,” Michael Roth, Wesleyan’s president, said in a statement.

Molly, which is a form of MDMA or ecstasy, has surged in popularity as a party drug due in part to its prevalence in popular music and its use at concerts and music festivals. As the popularity of the drug has grown, so have reports of the dangers associated with Molly.

The drug has been tied to a troubling string of deaths in the past few years. The Electric Zoo festival in New York City cancelled the third day of the festival in 2013 when two people died after taking Molly.

The drug is dangerous because it raises body temperature and heart rate of users and also dehydrates. Investigation into Molly also has shown that the drug is often cut with other, cheaper drugs that can be especially dangerous.

“This particular batch may have had a mixture of several kinds of designer drug chemicals, making the health risks unpredictable and treatment to combat the effects complex and problematic,” Middletown, Connecticut Police Chief William McKenna said, NBC News reported.