Police Pose As 11th Graders, Then Arrest 22 Calif. Students During Drug Sting

Undercover police officers posing as 11th grade students arrested 22 students for "narcotic related arrest warrants" at two Calif. high schools Thursday, authorities announced.

"The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department’s Special Investigations Bureau (SIB) completed a long-term investigation into reports that juvenile students were selling illicit drugs on the campuses of Perris High School, located in the city of Perris, and Paloma Valley High School, located in the city of Menifee," the police department said in a statement.

"During the course of this investigation, deputies seized various illegal narcotics; including marijuana, cocaine, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, hashish, and various types of prescription pills," the statement added.

[sharequote align="center"]"...deputies seized various illegal narcotics; including marijuana, cocaine, crack cocaine..."[/sharequote]

Investigators said they also identified Serina Ramirez, 18, and Erick De La Cruz, 19, as "two adults students between the two schools that were involved in the illegal drug sales."

Serina Ramirez, 18, and Erick De La Cruz, 19, are accused of selling drugs. (Image source: Riverside County Sheriff’s Department)

Those two were taken to the Southwest Detention Center, while others were processed at another station before being booked.

According to The Huffington Post, the arrests were a result of a male and female police officer posing as 11th graders during a semester-long investigation.

Student Anthony Rodriguez, 16, said officers were only on campus for a short period of time as they executed the arrests.

“They knew who they were looking for and exactly how to get there,” he told The Press-Enterprise.

Another student, Trevor Steinrichter, 16, said he saw his friend get arrested by authorities.

“Scary. I saw my friend get arrested,” he told The Press-Enterprise.

According to the Press-Enterprise, authorities in the area have previously executed similar sting operations.

(H/T: The Huffington Post)

Featured image courtesy of Shutterstock.

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