75 students arrested in drug bust
SAN DIEGO (AP) - May 6, 2008 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.
"A sad commentary is that when one of these individuals was
arrested, they inquired as (to) whether or not his arrest and
incarceration would have an effect on him becoming a federal law
enforcement officer," said Ralph Partridge, special agent in
charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in San Diego.
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 DEA 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's San Diego chapter declined to comment.
"We're talking to our advisers," said John Phillips, a past
president of the chapter.
Dale Taylor, the fraternity's national executive director, said
he was "obviously shocked and saddened" by the allegations.
Theta Chi has prohibited the San Diego chapter from group
activities like parties or sports and will investigate additional
disciplinary measures, up to expulsion of members or the entire
chapter.
Theta Chi, based in Indianapolis, has 131 chapters in the U.S.
and Canada and more than 161,000 initiates. It was founded in 1856.
The San Diego chapter was founded 61 years ago and has 65
members.
"They were on the upswing," Taylor said. "They had improved
their recruitment. They were trying to raise money for a new
house."
University police and federal drug agents worked together in the
investigation, making more than 130 undercover drug buys 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 said
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.
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Associated Press writers Elliot Spagat in San Diego and Greg
Risling in Los Angeles contributed to this report.