Authorities say that school administrators requested police assistance in investigating alleged marijuana sales at Southern University. Investigators say that a probe lasting roughly one month and involving undercover operators has resulted in the arrests of six people on suspicion of unlawful sales of marijuana.
Several law enforcement agencies claim to have worked on the undercover probe. East Baton Rouge Parish officials say that the sheriff’s office seized about 2 ounces of pot from a dorm room of three Southern University students. Details about how the marijuana was discovered in the dormitory have not been revealed in a recent story in the Baton Rouge Advocate. However, law enforcement says that undercover agents had purchased marijuana from students during the investigation.
In addition to the pot seized from the dormitory, detectives apparently searched the vehicle of one of the three students who shared the dorm room. Officials say that a weapon was seized during a search of the vehicle. Authorities believe that the three roommates worked together in selling marijuana on the university campus.
Several other students are accused of unrelated drug crimes related to the same investigation. The three additional students arrested on suspicion of marijuana crimes were not linked to the three roommates who were the focus of the dorm raid. Authorities say that two men who live off campus acted together in a separate scheme to sell pot. One 22-year-old man is accused of drug crimes while acting alone.
A seventh person, who authorities say is not a student at the school, is suspected of drug offenses–that seventh person has not been apprehended, but is wanted for allegedly selling marijuana.
In all, law enforcement claims that the undercover marijuana distribution investigation has uncovered four separate alleged operations–each involving one to three participants. The story highlights how unrelated allegations can arise from a single probe. It is not clear from public accounts how the unrelated allegations were developed during the probe. Each of the accused has the right to defend against the state’s allegations.
Source: The Advocate, “Six Southern students accused of dealing drugs on campus,” Jim Mustian, Sept. 29, 2013