Former USC athlete charged in international drug and gambling ring

Former University of Southern California athlete Owen Hanson was charged as the head of an international narcotics trafficking and gambling ring by a federal grand jury in California.

Hanson was a walk-on football player and men’s volleyball player for the Trojans in the early-2000s. He was one of 22 people charged in the ring, which included offenses such as racketeering, drug trafficking, and money laundering.

According to the indictment, Hanson ran an enterprise called “ODOG,” which distributed hundreds of pounds of drugs in the United States, Mexico and Australia, and ran an illegal gambling business. He also used several shell companies through which he laundered the profits. His operation used violence and intimidation to urge customers to pay off their debts.

Hanson was initially arrested on Sept. 9 after arranging the delivery of five kilograms of each cocaine and methamphetamine.

Hanson’s enterprise was uncovered following an investigation into a similar organization, Macho Sports Enterprise. In that case, 19 people were charged in June 2013.

Derek Loville, a former running back with the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos, was accused of distributing drugs for Hanson in Arizona.

- - - - - - -

Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook