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Nearly 100 Arrested in College Drug Bust

By ALLISON HOFFMAN,
AP
Posted: 2008-05-07 17:52:01
Filed Under: Crime News, Nation News
SAN DIEGO (May 7) - San Diego State University has suspended six fraternities after a sweeping drug investigation that landed dozens of students in jail on suspicion of openly dealing drugs on campus.

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Denis Poroy, AP

Sweeping Investigation

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Authorities on Tuesday said they arrested nearly 100 people, most of them students, in a sweeping drug bust at San Diego State University. Here, bags of drugs and handguns that were seized in the investigation are pictured.

The probe — prompted by the cocaine overdose death last year of a freshman sorority member — led to the arrests of 96 people, 75 of them San Diego State students. A second drug death occurred during the investigation.

Twenty-nine people were arrested early Tuesday in raids at nine locations including the Theta Chi fraternity, where agents found cocaine, Ecstasy and three guns, authorities said. Eighteen of those arrested were wanted on warrants for selling to undercover agents.

Theta Chi and five other fraternities have been suspended pending a hearing on evidence gathered during the investigation, dubbed Operation Sudden Fall.

All of the arrested students have been suspended and will be barred from attending classes or taking final exams until their cases are reviewed, San Diego State President Stephen Weber said in a statement. Those who live in university-owned housing were evicted, he added.

"If guilty, they have ruined an untold number of lives," Weber said. "We are determined to remove people from our community who have placed our students at risk."

Authorities said some fraternity members openly dealt drugs, and that one sent a mass text message advertising special prices on cocaine. Two kilograms of cocaine were seized in all, 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.

Profits may have been used to finance fraternity operations, according to an affidavit.

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 for a fraternity formal, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. The text promoted a cocaine "sale" and listed the reduced prices on bulk quantities.

"Attn faithful customers both myself and my associates will be in Vegas this coming weekend," the 19-year-old student wrote in the text message. "So stock up, we will be back Sunday night."

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.

The Greek (fraternity and sorority) system at San Diego State has about 3,000 students, out of an enrollment of 34,000, but Fraternity Row plays an outsized role in campus life. It sits a block from Cox Arena, home to many college sporting events.

Dale Taylor, national executive director of Theta Chi, said he was "obviously shocked and saddened" by the allegations. Theta Chi prohibited the San Diego chapter from group activities such as parties or sports activities and will investigate additional disciplinary measures, up to expulsion of members or the entire chapter.

The San Diego chapter, founded 61 years ago, was the first national fraternity on campus and has 65 members.

The chapter declined to comment. It occupies two low-slung homes a block off Fraternity Row, with large red and white Greek symbols propped on the roof.

Theta Chi has 131 chapters in the U.S. and Canada and more than 161,000 initiates. It was founded in 1856.

Besides Theta Chi, the other suspended fraternities are Lambda Chi Alpha, Phi Kappa Psi, Phi Kappa Theta, Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Sigma Alpha Mu.

University police launched their investigation into drug sales on campus after Shirley Poliakoff, 19, died from a cocaine overdose in May 2007. Investigators discovered many students in fraternities were aware of organized drug dealing within their houses.

As the investigation continued, another student, from Mesa College, died of a cocaine overdose at an SDSU fraternity house on Feb. 26, the DEA said.

Some drugs bought and sold by students were traced to gangs linked to Mexican cartels, according to the DEA. Agents collected about $100,000 worth of drugs that were being advertised in "resale quantities" between members of the fraternity and other students.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2008-05-06 13:49:15
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Recent Comments

1 - 10 of 2741
2741 comments

leims453 11:31:04 AM May 11 2008

If our law enforcement CONVICTS "BUYERS" diligently as they do DRUG sellers. I say, there would be a drastic reduction in the deadly business of the drug trade!

griffitht8 02:00:00 AM May 10 2008

HOW COME WE DONT SEE THE OIL COMPANIES OWNERS GOING TO JAIL WELL THEY ARE THE REAL CROOKS

icenive 09:56:57 PM May 09 2008

I think something must have been in the water or they were using their own product especially the one who sent the txt mesg. How the hell did they get into collge in the first place? pure stupidity. This only show how more and more inmature our kids are becomeing and its scary when we are depending on them to take over how are they going to compete with other countries when all you see currently is bad choices. Just image if the kids that was studying homeland security he might have let the columbiane cartel drug in with no prooblems how many more are of them are allready in theses positions? P.S. not all our kids are f***up pardon to the good apples.

healnghanz 04:35:46 PM May 09 2008

hit stony brook university next

cuz231 01:09:25 PM May 09 2008

Hillary Clinton started it when she sent chelsea to school with a bag she said you can pretty much do what the f--- you want your dad does so you can too so she started dealing so the word got around you can pretty much do what the f--- you want my mom says like my daddy bill so f--- the repubulcians party on, i love oral by Chelsea Clinton

pasandco 01:09:05 PM May 09 2008

Wonder how many of these well educated young folks voted for Obama? Maybe he will commute their sentences or pardon them when he's President.

epochguardian 12:45:52 PM May 09 2008

Drugs and alcohol should not be a part of growing up. Peers encourage each other to do them and for a variety of reasons, they often take that advice. I say let them do what they want because it's their lives and if they want to take that risk, then okay. They'll learn; if not, that's their fault and they can pay for it. But I don't agree with them dealing in the school. They want money and probably aren't limiting their customers to just college kids. If they want to get high and drunk, they should do it at their own discretion away from other people so they don't have a chance to hurt them.
I'm a senior in high school who went through the drug/alcohol phase too and the only thing I learned from it is that there is no use in having experience with them. You can't get into law school or land a job as a business CEO with "My only experience is with crystal meth" on your resume.
Either way, if drugs really are a part of "the college eperience," I guess going to jail after being ca

tygrusfurbelly 12:30:25 PM May 09 2008

"mk4jhnsn 11:33:19 PM May 07 2008
Report This! You want to know your time of death?
visit the website:tombclock. com"

I don't need to know...I'm already dead. ;)

tygrusfurbelly 12:28:06 PM May 09 2008

"crazyzoose 08:04:19 PM May 07 2008

Report This! the college kids are just having fun. I dont see anything wrong with it. Drugs and alcohol are a big part of growing up. I bet they had a lot of fun while it lasted. but you boring people have a problem with that"

Just cause people dont do alcohol or drugs doesn't make them boring or
any less fun or interesting to be around. Myself ..doesn't bother me if you
do ..doesn't me if you don't ..just dont vomit in my car or in my house,
yard is cool just make sure you wash it away with the hose.

tanoujin 06:55:21 PM May 08 2008

Why don't they go after the real drug dealers. The CIA and American Government.

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