4 charged in YSU drug raid

One of the suspects allowed drugs to be sold from his apartment, an officer said.
By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Four suspected of being drug dealers who sold to Youngstown State University students at their nighttime hangouts have been arrested, police said.
Two of the four -- Kristopher Sweed and Alexandros G. Stavrou -- are YSU students, said Lt. David Allen, commander of the Mahoning County Drug Task Force. All four, indicted by a Mahoning County grand jury, are out on bond, and more arrests will follow, he said.
Sweed, 24, of Court Street, Canfield, is charged with two counts of trafficking in cocaine. Stavrou, 20, of Park Avenue, is charged with two counts of trafficking in marijuana.
A secretary at Ursuline High School said Sweed was an assistant basketball coach there last year. John B. Juhasz, Sweed's attorney, would confirm only that his client was a coach at Ursuline.
Allen said Stavrou's apartment near the YSU campus was a "busy place" for drug activity. Juhasz, who also represents Stavrou, said he could not comment on a pending case.
The other suspects are Nicholas Habuda, 20, of Coitsville Road, Lowellville, who is charged with two counts of trafficking in OxyContin, and William Snowden, 21, of Fifth Avenue, Liberty, who is charged with two counts of trafficking in cocaine.
Complaints
The investigation began when students complained to campus police Sgt. Randy Williams about being approached at nightspots by drug sellers, Allen said.
Williams, a member of the drug task force, then enlisted the aid of his colleagues.
Allen said the students who came forward and Williams deserve a lot of credit. "It worked out real well," Allen said.
The investigation included undercover buys, Allen said. He declined to be more specific because the investigation continues and more charges are pending.
Allen said that YSU, with roughly 12,000 students, is a draw to drug dealers. Police are always on the lookout for any signs of drug activity near the campus, he said.
"YSU is great for the area, and we don't want to see anything jeopardize it," Allen said.
meade@vindy.com