Akron Zips star Alex Abreu has been arrested for drug trafficking after being caught with more than five pounds of marijuana on Thursday and has been suspended from the NCAA basketball team indefinitely.
The 21 year old point guard was charged with possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute and will appear in court later on Friday.
The Akron star was arrested for accepting a large amount of marijuana from an undercover police officer and now faces multiple felony drug charges along with 18 year old Austin Dargala.
A statement from the University of Akron reads:
“Junior point guard Alex Abreu has been suspended from the University of Akron men’s basketball team indefinitely pending the outcome of a police investigation. The University is aware of the situation and is currently gathering more information. Inquiries regarding the investigation should be directed to the Akron Police Department.”
The Zips currently boast a sterling 24-5 record and are preparing for their final game of the Mid-American Conference regular season against Kent State on Friday.
Akron is the top seed heading into the MAC tournament on Wednesday in Cleveland and has already secured a bye into the semi-finals.
The 5-10 junior was the floor leader for the Zips, averaging 10.3 points and 6.0 assists for a team that was a fashionable dark horse pick in the NCAA tournament, according to some pundits.
Abreu’s loss is a big blow to Akron’s chances of making a run in the tournament and will now have to turn to some inexperienced players to replace him.
Zips coach Keith Dambrot would not speak about the arrest of his starting point guard, only saying, “I can’t talk, I can’t talk,” when reached for comment.
The Akron star’s arrest will no doubt leave a dark cloud hanging over what should have been a triumphant end of the MAC regular season for the Zips and their fans.