attended Pace University in New York for two years, and then Duke University in North Carolina for one year. He did not graduate from either of these institutions. In 1985, while a sophomore, Modi and three other students tried to buy half a kilogram of cocaine for $10,000 at a motel. The man posing as a seller threatened them with a shotgun, and robbed them of $10,000. The next day, Modi and his friends beat up a student, whom they suspected of setting them up. As a result, on 1 March 1985, Modi was arrested on charges of conspiracy to traffic cocaine, assault and second-degree kidnapping. The next day, Modi and another student were indicted. Modi pleaded guilty to the crime when the case was heard in the Durham County court, North Carolina and later entered a plea bargain, which resulted in a suspended two-year prison sentence. In lieu of prison time, he was placed under a five-year probation and ordered to do 100 hours' community service. In 1986, Modi sought permission from the court to return to India, citing bad health. The Durham County Court accepted his plea and ordered him to perform 200 hours of community service in India. Modi's return to India was facilitated by some of his father's businessmen friends, including Leonard Lauder. When asked about this matter in 2010, Modi stated "I've got no idea about these allegations, which have been investigated and nothing was found." In 1986, Modi came back to Delhi, and joined the family business. He served as the President of International Tobacco Company Limited from 1987 to 1991. On 21 August 1989, he was made a Non-Executive & Non-Independent Director at Godfrey Phillips India, one of India's largest tobacco companies, and a joint venture between his family's Modi Enterprises and Philip Morris International. In February 1992, he was made an executive director of Godfrey Phillips India, and retained that position until 1 August 2010. Personal life In Delhi, Modi started courting the nine-years-older Minal Sagrani, who was the daughter of Nigeria-based Sindhi Hindu businessman, Pesu Aswani, and the ex-wife of another Nigeria-based Sindhi businessman, Jack Sagrani. His family initially opposed the marriage, as Minal was a recently divorced mother and nine years older than him. Modi managed to get his grandmother Dayawati Modi on his side, who convinced the family to agree to the marriage. The couple married on 17 October