High-er education; 2 Drexel students, 3 men charged in LSD case

BY PHILLIP LUCAS, lucasp@phillynews.com 215-854-5914

Posted: February 01, 2012

A DREXEL University student, busted on marijuana and gun charges two weeks ago in Montgomery County, snitched on his dealer and led police to an LSD ring allegedly being run near the campus in West Philadelphia, authorities said yesterday.

Five men - including two Drexel students - were busted in a drug ring that raked in between $5,000 and $15,000 a week in LSD sales, the District Attorney's Office said.

The student arrested two weeks ago in Upper Moreland Township told police that he had information on a drug ring, and let detectives in the D.A.'s office record phone conversations between him and his dealer, also a Drexel student, said Tasha Jamerson, the D.A.'s spokeswoman.

After recording the phone calls and arresting the second student, she said, the D.A.'s office used both as informants to take down the alleged masterminds behind the acid ring - two West Philadelphia men and an Ardmore man.

Police, DEA agents and officials from the D.A.'s office yesterday morning arrested Joshua Dassay, 31, of Florence Avenue near 48th Street, and found about 9,500 hits of LSD - valued at about $28,000 - and $10,000 in cash. Also arrested, Jamerson said, were Raphael Zappala, 33, of 50th Street near Springfield Avenue, and Wesley Crawford, 34, of Haverford Road near Ardmore Avenue, Ardmore.

The group sold the acid for between $10 and $30 a hit, and concealed the drug by painting it onto small graphics, including an image of Homer Simpson, a SpongeBob SquarePants Valentine's Day card and a psychedelic picture of the Kool-Aid man, Jamerson said.

The three also face child-endangerment charges because an infant was found in one of their apartments, Jamerson said.

The Drexel students are not identified because they are considered confidential informants, Jamerson said.

It was unclear what charges might be pending against them.