EL PAÍS English · 7 Sep, 08:29 · Business briefing

Students turned drug dealers: How some US fraternities entered the narcotics business

Recent reporting highlights a disturbing trend where certain US college fraternities have allegedly diversified into narcotics distribution.

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The briefing

The story
in brief.

What happened, who it affects, and why it landed on our intelligence desk — in plain English, sixty seconds or less.

Recent reporting highlights a disturbing trend where certain US college fraternities have allegedly diversified into narcotics distribution. This development underscores severe governance failures within student organisations, revealing how illicit activities can infiltrate campus social structures. The story examines the operational mechanics of these underground networks and the complicity of some members. For professionals, this serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities in organisational oversight. It illustrates how unchecked group dynamics and lack of transparent accountability can facilitate criminal enterprise, posing significant reputational and legal risks to the institutions involved and their associated networks.

Employer demand for Compliance And Governance skills — indexed growth since 2019
Indicative index of skill mentions in professional job postings for the field this story moves (2019 = 1)

Your move

What this means
for your career.

Every headline redistributes opportunity. Here is who this one rewards — and how to be on the right side of it.

This story demands immediate attention from leaders in Human Resources, Legal, and Compliance sectors. You must prioritise robust ethical training and rigorous background verification processes, particularly when managing young talent or student partnerships. Skills in risk assessment, corporate governance, and ethical leadership are now more critical than ever. You should audit your organisation’s compliance frameworks to identify gaps in monitoring informal groups or external associations. A smart professional will proactively develop expertise in detecting red flags within organisational culture. Focus on strengthening whistleblower mechanisms and ensuring clear codes of conduct. By embedding ethical vigilance into your operational strategy, you protect your employer’s reputation and foster a culture of integrity that deters such illicit activities.

For this story, the fields that convert it into pay are Compliance And Governance, Human Resources, Risk Management Strategies and Crisis Management — exactly the programmes matched below. The chart shows the indicative salary uplift certified professionals report in each of those fields; every one of them is a click away, from £79, finishing in as few as 20 days.

Indicative salary uplift in the fields matched to this story
Indicative ranges from published continuing-education salary studies, by field — each field is a recommended course below

Matched to this story

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