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Student charged with multiple counts of drug possession; currently enrolled but banned from campus, U. says

A University student was arrested on Tuesday after attempting to retrieve a package from the Frist Campus Center mailroom that allegedly contained seven grams of ecstasy, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office announced Wednesday.

Julian Edgren ’16 was arrested shortly after 4 p.m. by police who had been surveilling the building waiting for someone to retrieve the package which, they said, was addressed to him.

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The Prosecutor’s Office said that Edgren was carrying approximately half an ounce of liquid LSD, 55 grams of marijuana, five grams of hashish and 60 Adderall pills in a duffel bag at the time of his arrest.

The police also searched his room under a subsequent search warrant and allegedly found psilocybin, 31 marijuana cookies and assorted drug paraphernalia. Psilocybin is commonly known as psychedelic mushrooms.

Edgren also allegedly retrieved two other packages from Frist at the time of his arrest, one of which contained psilocybin. The Prosecutor’s Office declined to comment on the origin of the packages, citing the ongoing investigation, although the press release said it came from "overseas."

Edgren was charged with 13 total counts of possession and intent to distribute various controlled substances and prescription drugs. He is free after posting a $25,000 bail. His first scheduled court appearance is Jan. 12 in Princeton Municipal Court, during which he can hear the charges and enter a plea. He does not yet have a lawyer on record, a court representative said.

University spokesperson Martin Mbugua said that Edgren is currently enrolled at the University, but he has been banned from campus. The University usually starts a separate investigation when a student is arrested on campus or in the town.

Edgren faces up to 5-10 years in prison and fines up to $300,000 if found guilty of all charges. Edgren, who is from Princeton, N.J., and went to Princeton High School, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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The arrest was the result of an operation that started in mid-December, according to the press release, when federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection intercepted a package addressed to Edgren and reached out to the University's Department of Public Safety and the Mercer County Narcotics Task Force. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the county sheriff’s office, the New Jersey State Police, and the Hamilton, Lawrence, Princeton and Trenton police were also involved.

The case was first reported to the University's DPS on December 22, according to Wednesday's federally-mandated crime log.

The Prosecutor’s Office said the street value of the drugs allegedly found on Edgren, in the packages and in his room totaled around $3,000.

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