Six fraternities suspended after San Diego drug bust

[HAL 9000 96]

You pick:

SAN DIEGO, California (AP) -- San Diego State University has suspended six fraternities after a sweeping drug investigation that landed members of three fraternities in jail on suspicion of openly dealing drugs on campus.

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. 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. Video Watch police escort handcuffed students »

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, hashish 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, according to the DEA. "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 system at San Diego State has about 3,000 students, 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 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.

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

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[Jenn! 918]

Theta Chi? Sounds about right...

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

You can get a masters degree in Homeland Security?

[HAL 9000 96]

You can get a masters degree in Homeland Security?

DHS does give fellowships... and yeah, I also gave out a little laugh when I read that part and the criminal justice degree part.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

I blame the drug war.

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

Reading about how stupid these kids were (deposited their drug money straight into their bank accounts) reminds me of the episode of the wire when they talked about "no white kid left behind"

[almaty 19]

i am sure it was illegals.....or, issues with global warming

[Scott & Lai 12]

Why pick? There's plenty blame to go around:

The Mexican drug cartels,

The gangs,

The drug-dealing frat-boys,

The users,

And the asinine drug war.

[HAL 9000 96]

Sure there's plenty of blame to go 'round.

I guess you can't blame the customer for wanting the product, ey?

[Scott & Lai 12]

Sure there's plenty of blame to go 'round.

I guess you can't blame the customer for wanting the product, ey?

I included them in the fourth group worthy of blame...

[HAL 9000 96]

Good. I wonder how much time we'd not waste if the demand wasn't there. Suppliers are in it for the cash, not educating their consumers.

[Scott & Lai 12]

Good. I wonder how much time we'd not waste if the demand wasn't there. Suppliers are in it for the cash, not educating their consumers.

I'd say the first thing to do would be to end the drug war, and get rid of the black market. This would undercut the gangs' and drug cartels' main source of revenue, and eliminate most, if not all, of the pushers, thereby reducing the number of new users.

[HAL 9000 96]

You mean get rid of the market so as to stop the demand for the product to be pushed or stop the pushers and hope the demand will go cold turkey? Just want to get it clear where you are prioritizing. I prefer showing the dealers and the cartels that their product is worthless via there being no market for them to sell. In my point of view it will be much simpler and easier to focus on the consumer rather than eliminating one group (or all present groups) of dealers only to see a whole new crop of cartels fill in the void left for demanding customers. Of course, we could deal with it simultaneously as well but there are other wars we've gotten ourselves into.

[hoosier 0]

You mean get rid of the market so as to stop the demand for the product to be pushed or stop the pushers and hope the demand will go cold turkey? Just want to get it clear where you are prioritizing. I prefer showing the dealers and the cartels that their product is worthless via there being no market for them to sell. In my point of view it will be much simpler and easier to focus on the consumer rather than eliminating one group (or all present groups) of dealers only to see a whole new crop of cartels fill in the void left for demanding customers. Of course, we could deal with it simultaneously as well but there are other wars we've gotten ourselves into.

It's very simple. Legalize sales. Sell through goverment drug stores. Tax the ####### out of it, use the profits on drug education. This takes all the profit for the cartels and violence out of the equation. The war on drugs is a farce, Just a big money drain for government.

This is all about money and control. Those in power know they can use the drug war as an excuse to control a certain element of society. Very much the same way they use the war on terror. They can erode civil liberties, toss out proper search and seizure procedures all in the name of Security.

Ben Frankilin "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety"

[HAL 9000 96]

You mean get rid of the market so as to stop the demand for the product to be pushed or stop the pushers and hope the demand will go cold turkey? Just want to get it clear where you are prioritizing. I prefer showing the dealers and the cartels that their product is worthless via there being no market for them to sell. In my point of view it will be much simpler and easier to focus on the consumer rather than eliminating one group (or all present groups) of dealers only to see a whole new crop of cartels fill in the void left for demanding customers. Of course, we could deal with it simultaneously as well but there are other wars we've gotten ourselves into.

It's very simple. Legalize sales. Sell through goverment drug stores. Tax the ####### out of it, use the profits on drug education. This takes all the profit for the cartels and violence out of the equation. The war on drugs is a farce, Just a big money drain for government.

This is all about money and control. Those in power know they can use the drug war as an excuse to control a certain element of society. Very much the same way they use the war on terror. They can erode civil liberties, toss out proper search and seizure procedures all in the name of Security.

Ben Frankilin "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety"

A very interesting take. I do think that if we don't want to prioritize the reduction of product demand, thusly putting the cartels out of business, then perhaps we could free up the law enforcement man hours by legalizing the product in this way. Unfortunately, many conservative politicos would rather not see all that extra tax revenue, being a matter of consumer choice to spend to pay it to begin with.