San Diego Legal News

96 Students Arrested in SDSU Drug Raid

SAN DIEGO — Ninety-six students, local gang members and others were arrested this week in a large drug bust at San Diego State University.

Drugs including cocaine, ecstasy, marijuana and methamphetamines were confiscated in the sting, which came as the result of a months-long undercover operation, according to officials with the San Diego County District Attorney's Office and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The investigation was brought about as a result of the death of a 19 year old SDSU student who died last year of a drug overdose.

Many of the students arrested were members of the Theta Chi and Phi Kappa Psi fraternities. One of the gang members taken into custody allegedly has ties to drug cartels in Mexico.

The DEA said a member of the Theta Chi fraternity 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.

In addition to large amounts of narcotics, money and weapons were also seized from sellers and buyers in the raid.

Authorities confiscated two kilograms of cocaine, about 350 ecstasy pills, marijuana, psychedelic mushrooms, hash oil, methamphetamines and illicit prescription drugs, as well as several guns and at least $60,000 in cash.

The undercover operation , dubbed "Operation Sudden Fall," conducted more than 130 drug purchases with sellers, authorities said. Several youthful police officers from local departments also went undercover and became regulars at the weekend party scene at the San Diego State University campus. The undercover officers began to appear at San Diego State fraternity parties. The officers dressed like the students, and talk of campus interest such as music, sex and drugs. With no questions, they were soon accepted and appeared at student hangouts both on and off the campus. During this same time period, coincidentally, a Mesa College student died of a cocaine overdose at a San Diego State University fraternity house.

Officials said they were surprised by the sophistication of the campus smuggling and trafficking network.

Several of the 96 defendants — 75 of whom are students — were appearing in state court to face charges Tuesday afternoon.

Eighteen of the students were arrested Tuesday when nine search warrants were executed at various locations, among them fraternities.

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