More Drug Arrests at San Diego State
Posted on May 7, 2008
Filed Under Drugs, Felonies, misdemeanor |
Fallout from the undercover drug sting at San Diego State University continues. More than 128 people have now been arrested for suspected drug crimes, most of them students. Six fraternities have been suspended and are under investigation. “Undercover agents purchased cocaine from fraternity members and confirmed that a hierarchy existed for the purpose of selling drugs for money,” a DEA spokesperson told reporters. Young men and women on the verge of graduating and launching their careers now face probable jail time, their dreams in tatters, their futures forever tainted.
The five-month federal operation began a year ago as a campus police probe into the overdose death of a freshman sorority member. Federal agents posing as collegiates said they had no trouble obtaining drugs from suspected dealers. “All it took was saying, ‘Hey, I go to State, can you hook me up?’ And then it was off to the races,” San Diego County Prosecutor Damon Mosler told the Associated Press.
Students caught for minor drug offenses early in the sting served as informants, setting up drug buys and fingering fellow students as dealers. A DEA spokesman said students apparently never suspected a drug investigation in their own backyard.
Drug crimes are a serious offense in California and can include possession, trafficking or distributing and cultivating or manufacturing. With certain exceptions, drug crimes are a felony in California.
- Drug Possession. Prosecutors must only prove that you knew about the drugs and controlled them or that you intended to sell them. They don’t have to actually catch you with the drugs; finding drugs in your car, house or backpack is enough for conviction.
- Drug Trafficking or Distributing. You can be convicted for aiding, abetting or conspiring with someone to sell or purchase drugs. You don’t have to actually move the drugs or make the sale.
- Cultivating or Manufacturing Drugs. Possession of the chemicals necessary to manufacture drugs, even if the actual drug is not found, can lead to a conviction.
The stakes are high if you are arrested on a drug charge. If convicted, you could be sentenced to serve time in the county jail or state prison. You can lose your property, pay a fine, lose your driver’s license and/or be required to register as a narcotics offender. Depending on the crime, even first-time drug crime offenders may face mandatory minimum jail sentences.
For more information on LA criminal defense, visit our English website or Spanish version website for more information.
-LegalPro
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