Former Wesleyan Football Player Sentenced in Drug Case

MIDDLETOWN, CT — Former Wesleyan football player Ryan Welch was sentenced to six months of home confinement and three years of probation Tuesday for distributing a synthetic hallucinogenic drug at the university, causing an overdose for one teammate, according to authorities.

Welch, 22, of Salem, Mass., was also ordered by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to perform 200 hours of community service, U.S. States Attorney Deirdre M. Daly announced.

The Wesleyan University Department of Public Safety responded to an emergency call from a campus dorm room and found a male student in severe medical distress on Oct. 31, 2015, according to court documents and statements made in court.

The victim was convulsing and struggling to breathe, and his body temperature was significantly elevated. The victim was transported by ambulance to the hospital where he spent several days recovering, according to a press release.

The investigation revealed that the victim had ingested “2C-B,” and that Welch was identified as the source of the 2C-B that the victim ingested.

“The investigation further revealed that Welch, a member of Wesleyan’s football team, had distributed 2C-B to between 15 and 20 other members of the team during the 2015 season,” Daly wrote in the press release. “Initially, he distributed the drug in liquid form, mixing it in a water bottle with a non-alcoholic drink. Later, he distributed it in powder form, in clear capsules. Some teammates referred to the 2C-B distributed by Welch as ‘Welchie’s drug’ or ‘Welchie’s special.’ Certain players paid Welch approximately $10 for each single-dose capsule.”

The investigation further revealed that Welch purchased the synthetic drug on the Dark Web using Bitcoin, according to Daly.

Welch was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on Jan. 21, 2016. On March 8, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, 2C-E and 2C-B, Schedule I controlled substances (hallucinogens).

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