The Naval Academy and Naval Criminal Investigative Service are investigating alleged recreational drug use within the Brigade of Midshipmen, a spokesman said in a statement Tuesday.
Officials have been investigating the allegations for 2½ months, Cmdr. David McKinney, academy spokesman, wrote in an email. The results of the investigation are pending.
“We are continuing to work with NCIS on these reported allegations,” McKinney said. “The Navy has a zero tolerance for drug abuse and takes all allegations of misconduct very seriously.”
Citing the ongoing investigation, McKinney declined to answer questions about what drugs were allegedly used, how many midshipmen were involved in the alleged abuse and whether drug sales occurred on Naval Academy grounds.
“We are hoping that the investigation will be complete in the near future and will have more information at that time,” he wrote in an email.
NCIS spokesman Ed Buice also declined to answer questions, citing the ongoing investigation.
According to the Midshipmen Regulations Manual, the “wrongful use, possession, or willful involvement” in drugs means mandatory separation from the Naval Academy.
Between 2010 and 2011, NCIS conducted an 11-month investigation into the use of synthetic marijuana, or spice, by midshipmen. That investigation ended the careers of at least 27 midshipmen.
———
© 2018 The Capital (Annapolis, Md.)
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
