Crime & Safety

Mt. Carmel High Student Arrested in Undercover Drug Operation

Authorities arrested three PUSD students Tuesday as part of a broader undercover drug operation.

Updated 3:25 p.m. Tuesday with additional details, photos and video.

It was "almost too easy."

Pretend to be a high school transfer student. Go to class. Take tests. Ask for heroin, oxycontin or marijuana.

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Then get what you want—without ever leaving the classroom.

Authorities arrested 16 people Tuesday, including three Poway Unified School District students, in connection with a yearlong undercover drug operation at Poway, Abraxas, Ramona and Mission Hills high schools led by the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. 

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"Undercover deputies found it almost too easy to buy drugs on these campuses. ...Unfortunately, I wasn't surprised," Sheriff Bill Gore said Tuesday. 

"It was a whole array of the drugs that, unfortunately, we see too often in our high schools."

A former Poway student who had transferred to Mt. Carmel High School was among those arrested Tuesday in a roundup targeting 10 adults and nine juveniles. Three adults, including two from Poway, were still outstanding early Tuesday afternoon.

The operation, only known by superintendents at the school districts, was initiated after Poway deputies noticed "several" overdoses in a short period of time, Gore said.

Not even teachers and principals knew that the three new transfer students—undercover deputies in their 20s with transfer paperwork, class schedules, test grades and "parents"—were in classrooms to tap into the drug scene.

And, Gore said, it wasn't that difficult to delve in.

The undercover deputies were able to get drugs on campus at all of the schools except Abraxas High. Transactions happened in class and just off campus amid discussions about marijuana and prescription drug use at parties.

Sometimes teens would be dealing drugs at house parties in affluent neighborhoods, the parents at home but oblivious, Gore said.

"You've got to be involved in your kids' lives," he said.

During the "Operation 'A' Team" undercover effort, deputies were able to buy marijuana, heroin, cocaine, oxycodone and hydrocodone. Many teens turn to heroin as a cheaper alternative to oxycontin, which many easily access in their parents' medicine cabinets at home.

Gore said this is a "community problem."

The Poway Unified School District, which had three of its students arrested Tuesday, has a number of programs to address drug use, including a superintendent's Drug and Alcohol Task Force.

In a statement, Superintendent John Collins said the district shares a responsibility with law enforcement to provide a drug-free environment for students.

"While it saddens me that the investigation led to the arrest of PUSD students, as a district we do not tolerate drugs on our campuses," he said.

PUSD board president Marc Davis, in a statement, said the district would work to protect students from the dangers of illegal drugs.

"Unfortunately, the findings of this District Task Force confirm that the arrests that took place today could happen in just about any community across the country. This is a nationwide societal problem and is not unique to one school or community," Davis said.

Officials would not provide further details about the operation—the genders of the deputies; numbers of drug transactions; specifics about the undercover experience—citing the ongoing investigation.

Arrested:

  • Male juvenile from Poway
  • Male juvenile, resident of Poway, arrested at Poway High School
  • Male juvenile, resident of Poway, arrested at Mt. Carmel High School
  • Female juvenile, resident of Ramona, arrested at Ramona High School
  • Male juvenile, resident of San Marcos, arrested at Mission Hills High School
  • Johnny Nguyen of Poway
  • Philip Silva of San Diego
  • Christopher Payne of Ramona
  • Kevin Meza of San Marcos
  • Jesse Escalante
  • Ramon Kelly of Vista
  • Edwin Sanchez of San Marcos
  • Milton Ortena of San Marcos
  • Maxwell Gaffney of Ramona
  • Skylor McGee of Ramona

Not in custody as of early Tuesday afternoon:

  • Troy Gagliano of Poway
  • Erik Johnson of Poway
  • Jesus Zurita of San Marcos


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