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Go to college, join a frat...get busted by the DEA..

manimal

Ociffer Tackleberry
Feb 27, 2002
7,212
17
Blindly running into cactus
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/nearly-100-arrested-in-college-drug-bust/20080506134909990001

SAN DIEGO (May 6) - 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.
"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.
so how much is a college education going for these days? the tuition must be inflated because these kids aren't learning! :rofl:

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.
nope, no danger in drugs, none at all :rolleyes:

btw, anybody have an idea of what 2 keys of coke goes for in SD these days?
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about $75k!
these kids should've been business majors.
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,941
13,135
Portland, OR
One of the students busted was set to graduate in a month with a Masters in Homeland Security :rofl:

He was researching, nothing more.
 

skinny mike

Turbo Monkey
Jan 24, 2005
6,415
0
us marshalls seized a former frathouse earlier this year at uvm. last year the frat was caught trafficking cocaine.
 

sanjuro

Tube Smuggler
Sep 13, 2004
17,373
0
SF
You have to read the more in-depth, local coverage:

Sting snares 96 on SDSU campus on drug charges

By Angelica Martinez, Debbi Farr Baker and Karen Kucher
UNION-TRIBUNE BREAKING NEWS TEAM

and Sherry Saavedra
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

4:20 9.m. May 6, 2008

SAN DIEGO – A year-long investigation at San Diego State University has resulted in 96 people being arrested on drug- related charges, including 75 students, officials said Tuesday.

Eighteen SDSU students were taken into custody Tuesday morning and other related arrests have taken place over the past year, San Diego State University Police Chief John Browning said.

Two of the accused made their first court appearance Tuesday afternoon and pleaded not guilty.

The investigation – dubbed Operation Sudden Fall – was launched a year ago by campus police and targeted people suspected of selling illegal drugs to SDSU students, Browning said. About five months ago, federal drug agents joined the probe, launching a series of undercover drug purchases.

Students that were arrested have been suspended, pending a due-process review. Those living in campus housing who have been arrested will be evicted.

“SDSU will continue to do what is necessary, through both enforcement and education, to encourage our students to make the responsible choices to ensure the health and safety of our campus community,” SDSU president Stephen Weber said.

Items seized in the investigation included $100,000 worth of drugs, including marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy pills, mushrooms, methamphetamine, and illicit prescription drugs. One shotgun, three semi-automatic pistols and about $60,000 in cash also were seized, Browning said.

Drug sales occurred on numerous locations across the campus, including in an alley next to the Theta Chi fraternity house, according to court records.

The investigation was launched after a student died of a cocaine overdose a year ago.

Shirley Jennifer Poliakoff, 19, was found dead on the morning of May 6, 2007, in her Aztec Corner apartment. She was a member of Alpha Phi sorority.

A county Medical Examiner's investigator said Poliakoff died from acute cocaine and ethanol intoxication. The death was ruled accidental.

An arrest in connection with her death has been made. That person was not among those arrested in the operation, said Damon Mosler, narcotics division chief for the District Attorney.

More than 130 undercover drug buys were made over the past five months at fraternity houses, in front of campus dormitories and at various locations off campus.

During that time, a second drug overdose near campus was reported. On Feb. 24, Kurt Baker was found dead of an accidental overdose in a SDSU fraternity house. The county Medical Examiner's Office said Baker died from acute oxycodone and alcohol intoxication. It was ruled accidental.

Officials said among those arrested is Michael Montoya, a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, who was one month away from obtaining his master's degree in Homeland Security. Montoya also worked as a community service officer on campus and reported to campus police.

Another student majoring in criminal justice was arrested for possession of 500 grams of cocaine and two guns, officials said.

“A sad commentary is that when one of these individuals was arrested, he inquired as to whether or not his arrest and incarceration would have an effect on his becoming a federal law enforcement officer,” said Ralph Partridge, special agent-in-charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration.


Others arrested include Omar Castaneda, a 36-year-old Pomona gang member with close ties to some of the Mexican drug cartels, Mosler said.

Castaneda, who is believed to have been a lead supplier in the drug trafficking, pleaded not guilty during his arraignment Tuesday afternoon in Superior Court.

His bail was set at $150,000 in connection with the drug charges and his immigration status is also being checked.

“Castaneda was one of the main sources of supply for some of the dealers on the campus,” Mosler said.

Also arraigned was Patrick Hawley, 20, who was arrested on suspicion of armed robbery and selling cocaine near the campus, officials said.

Hawley, who was an SDSU student at some point during the investigation, sold one-eighth of an ounce of cocaine for $120 to an undercover DEA agent, said prosecutor Shawn Tafreshi, of the major narcotics unit, in court.

He often bragged of taking over the drug selling business from another seller, Tafreshi said.

Hawley's bail was set at $75,000.

Officers infiltrated seven campus fraternities. In some fraternities, most of the members were aware of organized drug dealing occurring from the houses by other members, officials said.

In one instance, 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 in Las Vegas for the weekend and cocaine sales could not be made.

The message said there was a “sale” on cocaine and listed reduced prices.

Narcotics authorities said the sales were predominantly arranged by text messages.

The drug dealers “weren't picky about who they sold to,” Mosler said.

Weber said the fraternities involved, Theta Chi and Phi Kappa Psi, could face sanctions such as expulsion from the campus.

Faculty and staff were not made aware of the undercover investigation being conducted on and near campus.

“This was not a difficult decision,” Weber said. “We needed to do something about it. We're talking about drug trafficking. That's the thing we were not prepared to turn our backs on. We had to deal with this.”

Mosler said the university's cooperation is rare and should be used as an example for other campuses.

“Being proactive and taking on these problems at schools is not easy. Nobody likes that. We've often had issues with people not wanting to take on problems at schools,” Mosler said.

Those arrested Tuesday morning were taken to Cox Arena for questioning. The operation has concluded, but officials said the investigation is continuing.
 

sanjuro

Tube Smuggler
Sep 13, 2004
17,373
0
SF
Is ok for me to think all these students are scumbags, and they should do undercover buys at every university in the country?
 

Silver

find me a tampon
Jul 20, 2002
10,840
1
Orange County, CA
nope, no danger in drugs, none at all :rolleyes:
You'll notice that per sanjuro's link the whole investigation was started when a girl overdosed on both cocaine and alcohol.

Oddly enough, the Budweiser distributor who dropped kegs off at the frat doesn't feel the need to have an illegal cache of firearms.

Probably has something to do with the fact that he can take people who don't pay him for product to court to enforce judgements, eh?
 

black noise

Turbo Monkey
Dec 31, 2004
1,032
0
Santa Cruz
nope, no danger in drugs, none at all :rolleyes:
Any commodity is dangerous if it's underground and illegal. Any black market is unregulated and prone to violence. It's like saying "nope, no danger in a diamond, none at all," the danger arises from high demand and value and its illegal status, these drugs aren't inherently dangerous.

Which drug leads to the most deadly overdoses, sexual assaults, stupid behavior you regret later, and violence on college campuses? It's sure as hell not weed, coke, or ex, I'd bank on it being alcohol, one that basically any student could walk into without effort.

I'd like to see an article that talks about the sh!t that goes down at any given frat party with a couple kegs, that's the dangerous and disgusting stuff.
 

manimal

Ociffer Tackleberry
Feb 27, 2002
7,212
17
Blindly running into cactus
Which drug leads to the most deadly overdoses, sexual assaults, stupid behavior you regret later, and violence on college campuses? It's sure as hell not weed, coke, or ex, I'd bank on it being alcohol, one that basically any student could walk into without effort.
absolutely. the drugs have their own consequences but, as silver said, you don't see the budweiser guy packing heat because beer is LEGAL. it's the stuff like this that brings the propensity for violence into any type of drug transaction:
Others arrested include Omar Castaneda, a 36-year-old Pomona gang member with close ties to some of the Mexican drug cartels, Mosler said.
as i've said before, i could care less if kids want to get high, i'd rather deal with someone who's stoned than drunk anyday but until that problem is remedied, there will always be a link between drugs and violence. you can try and prove otherwise by stating that potheads aren't violent but i'll counter that by proving that they have to get the drugs from someone and that someone is likely willing to protect their investment.
 

ire

Turbo Monkey
Aug 6, 2007
6,196
4
Have you guys seen the price of college?? It keeps going up....I bet they were looking for creative ways to finance their schooling
 

Silver

find me a tampon
Jul 20, 2002
10,840
1
Orange County, CA
absolutely. the drugs have their own consequences but, as silver said, you don't see the budweiser guy packing heat because beer is LEGAL. it's the stuff like this that brings the propensity for violence into any type of drug transaction:


as i've said before, i could care less if kids want to get high, i'd rather deal with someone who's stoned than drunk anyday but until that problem is remedied, there will always be a link between drugs and violence. you can try and prove otherwise by stating that potheads aren't violent but i'll counter that by proving that they have to get the drugs from someone and that someone is likely willing to protect their investment.
Whoa.

Are you coming out in favor of drug legalization?
 

manimal

Ociffer Tackleberry
Feb 27, 2002
7,212
17
Blindly running into cactus
Whoa.

Are you coming out in favor of drug legalization?
nothing new bud. search through some of my drug related posts and you'll find that i'm not vehemently against the legalization of weed, i'm just not an advocate for it. the way i see it, people are going to smoke it anyway, and the drug itself doesn't cause violent tendencies. i'm sure i'll get flamed for this but i'd rather see stiffer restrictions on alcohol because i've never had to fight a stoner, just drunks and crack/meth heads.
however, my one stipulation in regards to legalization of weed would be that businesses can reserve the right not to hire a person who smokes/fails drug test. if i were an employer i wouldn't want the work day interrupted by constant vending machine visits ;)
 

Silver

find me a tampon
Jul 20, 2002
10,840
1
Orange County, CA
I'm not just talking about weed. I'm talking full on legalization.

Everything from weak ditchweed to PCP. Maybe even Ketamine in the milk your kids get at school. Heroin vending machines. The whole 9 yards...
 

manimal

Ociffer Tackleberry
Feb 27, 2002
7,212
17
Blindly running into cactus
I'm not just talking about weed. I'm talking full on legalization.

Everything from weak ditchweed to PCP. Maybe even Ketamine in the milk your kids get at school. Heroin vending machines. The whole 9 yards...
in that case..absolutely not. the addictive and neurotic effects of schedule I and II narcotics require that they remain regulated, in my opinion.

however, my "understanding oppressive systems" class last year would have made a lot more sense if i were on acid ;)
 
Apr 30, 2008
42
0
the thing i find most surprising is that they were busted with guns. i always thought that a frat boys weapon of choice was a frisbee.
 

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,669
1,713
chez moi
See how the underprivileged are kept down by the Man?? SEEE?!

That glibly said, I bet these kids don't get the judicial ass-whupping they should...
 

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,669
1,713
chez moi
Not like I have a shred of sympathy for any of 'em, but I'll join you in grumbling if the frat boys skate.

You know the prosecutor is simply giggling as he gets each of them to sell the others out. That's gotta be worth something to watch.
 

sanjuro

Tube Smuggler
Sep 13, 2004
17,373
0
SF
BTW, if anyone thinks drug dealing is a victimless crime:

Gunmen Kill Chief of Mexico’s Police
By JAMES C. McKINLEY

MEXICO CITY — Gunmen assassinated the acting chief of Mexico’s federal police early Thursday morning in the most brazen attack so far in the year-and-a-half-old struggle between the government and organized crime gangs.

Mexican police have been under constant attack since President Felipe Calderón took office in December 2007 and launched an offensive against drug cartels who had corrupted the municipal police forces and local officials in several towns along the border and on both coasts.

Since then, Mr. Calderón has sent thousands of federal agents and troops into those areas to establish law and order, provoking a powerful backlash from drug cartels, who have killed some 200 officers, among them at least 30 federal agents.

The police chief, Edgar Millán Gómez, was ambushed by several men wearing rubber gloves and carrying weapons as he entered his apartment building in the Guerrero neighborhood of Mexico City with two bodyguards at 2:30 a.m. He was hit nine times in the chest and one hand. He died a few hours later at Metropolitan Hospital.

Commander Millán was the highest ranking official to be killed since President Calderón’s campaign against drug dealers began. Intelligence officials said it is highly likely he was murdered in retribution for the arrest on Jan. 21 of Alfredo Beltrán Leyva, one of the leaders of a cartel based in Sinaloa state.

“It was in response to his role in the arrest,” said one intelligence officer, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release classified information. “It’s the worst casualty we have suffered so far.”

Commander Millán, 41, had served for the last year as the federal police official in charge of the anti-drug operations throughout the country. A month ago, he was promoted to become the acting chief of the entire force.

His death was the tenth assassination of a federal police official in the last two months. Last week, gunmen also shot and killed the head of the organized crime division in the public security ministry, Roberto Velasco Bravo.

One of Mr. Millán’s bodyguards, though wounded, managed to wrestle an attacker to the ground and arrest him. The man, Alejandro Ramírez Báez, 34, was wearing rubber gloves and carried a pistol with a silencer, the police said. Shells from an assault rifle were also found at the scene. The police said Mr. Ramírez has a criminal record, having been convicted twice for stealing cars. Still, it remained unclear who, if anyone, had hired him as an assassin, they said.

Mr. Millán, 41, started his carreer in Mexico’s intelligence service and then switched to the newly formed Federal Agency of Investigation in 2001, where he rose quickly to become the chief of the kidnapping division. He dismantled several notorious kidnapping rings and managed the successful release of Rubén Omar Romano, a well-known professional soccer coach.

Since 2006, he had overseen regional deployments of federal officers, even as a number of federal police forces were consolidated and given more authority. Last month, he took over the reins of the reorganized federal police as acting chief, when the previous chief was promoted, officials said.

“Early this morning, Mexico lost one of its bravest men, a police professional at the service of the nation,” the public security secretary, Genaro García Luna, said in a statement.
Somehow, I immediately thought about San Diego State when I read this article.
 

$tinkle

Expert on blowing
Feb 12, 2003
14,591
6
The police said Mr. Ramírez has a criminal record, having been convicted twice for stealing cars. Still, it remained unclear who, if anyone, had hired him as an assassin, they said.
i think that's being worked out in a dirty mayan cave w/ a 24V dewalt
 

w00dy

In heaven there is no beer
Jun 18, 2004
3,417
51
that's why we drink it here
This is all hearsay, but I'll include it because I think it pertains to the subject.
I heard about a frat in buffalo that was dealing heavily in cocaine. They didn't get busted by the DEA because they cleaned up their act when they learned they were under investigation. They got tipped off by some of the local PD, who they had been paying off.