Stewie
05-06-2008, 05:11 PM
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Nearly 100 people, most of them students, were arrested during a lengthy undercover investigation targeting drug trafficking at San Diego State University in California, authorities said on Tuesday.
Police took 18 students into custody on Tuesday morning and said raids had recovered 50 pounds (23 kg) of marijuana, 48 marijuana plants, 350 Ecstasy pills, 30 vials of hash oil, as well as cocaine, psychedelic mushrooms, methamphetamine and illicit prescription drugs.
Also seized were a shotgun, three semi-automatic pistols, brass knuckles and $60,000 in cash.
A total of 96 people, 75 of them students, were arrested on various drug-related charges during the "Operation Sudden Fall" investigation at the 30,000-student campus, which began after the death of a student one year ago.
Shirley Jennifer Poliakoff, 19, was found dead in her bedroom on May 6, 2007, in what medical examiners determined was an accidental overdose of cocaine and ethanol. A second student, who was 22, died of an accidental cocaine overdose at a fraternity house on February 26, while the investigation was already under way.
Prosecutors said one of the students accused of dealing cocaine was one month away from being awarded a master's degree in homeland security and worked as a community service officer for the campus police department.
Another student, a criminal justice major, was arrested on suspicion of possessing 500 grams (18 ounces) of cocaine and two guns.
"If proven guilty, these individuals have preyed on students and have ruined hundreds of lives," University President Stephen Webber said. "We're talking about people trafficking in drugs, and that's something we're not prepared to turn our backs on."
Webber said the students charged in the case also would be immediately suspended from the university and evicted from campus housing.
Authorities said that during the investigation they infiltrated seven campus fraternities and found that in some of them most members were aware of organized drug dealing.
In one case, prosecutors said, a member of the Theta Chi fraternity sent out a mass text message to his "faithful customers" announcing that he was traveling to Las Vegas for the weekend and would not be available to make drug deals but that he would be having a "sale" on cocaine prices.
Police took 18 students into custody on Tuesday morning and said raids had recovered 50 pounds (23 kg) of marijuana, 48 marijuana plants, 350 Ecstasy pills, 30 vials of hash oil, as well as cocaine, psychedelic mushrooms, methamphetamine and illicit prescription drugs.
Also seized were a shotgun, three semi-automatic pistols, brass knuckles and $60,000 in cash.
A total of 96 people, 75 of them students, were arrested on various drug-related charges during the "Operation Sudden Fall" investigation at the 30,000-student campus, which began after the death of a student one year ago.
Shirley Jennifer Poliakoff, 19, was found dead in her bedroom on May 6, 2007, in what medical examiners determined was an accidental overdose of cocaine and ethanol. A second student, who was 22, died of an accidental cocaine overdose at a fraternity house on February 26, while the investigation was already under way.
Prosecutors said one of the students accused of dealing cocaine was one month away from being awarded a master's degree in homeland security and worked as a community service officer for the campus police department.
Another student, a criminal justice major, was arrested on suspicion of possessing 500 grams (18 ounces) of cocaine and two guns.
"If proven guilty, these individuals have preyed on students and have ruined hundreds of lives," University President Stephen Webber said. "We're talking about people trafficking in drugs, and that's something we're not prepared to turn our backs on."
Webber said the students charged in the case also would be immediately suspended from the university and evicted from campus housing.
Authorities said that during the investigation they infiltrated seven campus fraternities and found that in some of them most members were aware of organized drug dealing.
In one case, prosecutors said, a member of the Theta Chi fraternity sent out a mass text message to his "faithful customers" announcing that he was traveling to Las Vegas for the weekend and would not be available to make drug deals but that he would be having a "sale" on cocaine prices.