Posted on 05/06/2008 1:09:06 PM PDT by anymouse
Dozens of San Diego State University students were arrested after a sweeping drug investigation found that some fraternity members openly dealt drugs and one even sent a mass text message advertising cocaine, authorities said Tuesday.
Two kilograms of cocaine were seized, along with 350 Ecstasy pills, marijuana, psychedelic mushrooms, hash oil, methamphetamine, illicit prescription drugs, several guns and at least $60,000 in cash, authorities said.
Of the 96 people arrested, 75 were students. Eighteen of the students were arrested Tuesday when nine search warrants were executed at various locations including fraternities, said Jesse Rodriguez, San Diego County assistant district attorney.
The undercover probe, dubbed Operation Sudden Fall, was sparked by the cocaine overdose death of a student in May 2007, authorities said. As the investigation continued, another student, from Mesa College, died Feb. 26 of a cocaine overdose at an SDSU fraternity house, the DEA said.
Those arrested included a student who was about to receive a criminal justice degree and another who was to receive a master's degree in homeland security. Some defendants were scheduled to appear in state court to face charges Tuesday.
During the probe investigators discovered that in some fraternities most members were aware of "organized drug dealing occurring from the fraternity houses by its members," the Drug Enforcement Administration said in a news release.
"Undercover agents purchased cocaine from fraternity members and confirmed that a hierarchy existed for the purpose of selling drugs for money," the DEA said.
The district attorney's office said search warrants were served in San Diego and suburban La Mesa, including the Theta Chi fraternity house and several apartments.
A member of Theta Chi sent out a mass text message to his "faithful customers" stating that he and his "associates" would be unable to sell cocaine while they were in Las Vegas over one weekend, according to the DEA. The text promoted a cocaine "sale" and listed the reduced prices.
Theta Chi, founded in 1856, has 131 chapters in the U.S. and Canada and more than 161,000 initiates. A message left at the fraternity's Indianapolis headquarters was not immediately returned.
University police and federal drug agents worked together in the investigation, making more than 130 undercover drug buys were made at locations including fraternity houses, student parking areas and dormitories, authorities said.
Shawn Collinsworth, executive director of the national office of Phi Kappa Psi, said he was told by two of the SDSU fraternity chapter's leaders that four of its members were arrested. He added the fraternity is cooperating with the investigation.
"It isn't behavior becoming of Phi Kappa Psi," Collinsworth said.
San Diego State is one of the largest schools in California's state university system with about 34,000 students. The campus has an active network of fraternities and sororities.
Book ‘em Dono.
The Frat Boys have nothing to fear since their daddies will buy them out of their trouble with the police.
Boy is that the truth. My brother's roommate in the dorms smoked pot on a regular basis. When my brother complained, the campus authorities just ignored him or told him not to cause problems.
The Paulbots just lost 75 “grass”-roots activists. ;)
I bet his thesis entitiled "Determining the actual carrying capacity of the human rectum and other body cavities" drew a red flag.
In San Diego you don’t bribe the police, you have to bribe the city council.
Here in Austin, the Frat Boys can kill a pledge and walk away with probation.
Their families can buy a lawyer and buy the courts.
I think it’s great to know that most anywhere you go, some level or department of government is “reasonable.”
Sure.
Any Professors in the haul?
Cool bust.
Gee...drugs in fraternities. Why I never..
Please, sir, may I have another?
May well be, but it looks as though the party might be over for 75 partygoers for a while. Where the hell was the school administration allowing this to go on on campus? Might be time for a few job changes too.
Your statement is outdated.
Some years back, a couple of dems were in over their head
and the laws took care of them.
I am a several decade old native here. The major problem is of the 3.2 million people here, majority from other states and countries.
Plenty of Airlines and freeways can take them back if they don’t like it.
Maybe some don’t like being in a Republican County also the largest city in the U.S. to have a Republican Mayor
and 3 or our 5 congressmen are conservative republicans.
All of our Board of Supervisors are Republican.
Several Republicans on the City Council.
Gee, Ya think?!
Aren’t developers still running SD?
Can't some enterprising law student file a class action suit against the university for violating his civil rights?
That was many years ago. He was very concerned that if they ever decided to get tough on those that were doing drugs on campus he would be the one that would be charged with having the drugs. His roommate was such a lowlife that he wouldn’t have hesitated to lie as to whom really had the drugs.
My brother bailed on dorm life after that experience.
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