by Ardee Napolitano
news@dailylobo.com
An undercover drug bust near the Duck Pond ended in the arrest of a dozen people, five of whom are UNM students.
According to an article in the Albuquerque Journal, the Albuquerque Police Department was undercover on campus beginning on Thursday. One student reportedly sold drugs to an undercover police officer, and the other four tried to purchase drugs from an officer who was pretending to be a drug distributor.
UNM Communications Director Dianne Anderson said that although the University did not know about the bust prior to the arrests, APD briefed the UNM Police Department earlier during the day.
Anderson said that because drug arrests do not happen often on campus, the recent bust was unusual, especially considering the number of arrests made.
“I think (APD) was able to make a lot of arrests in one day,” she said. “It’s an abnormal situation to have that many drug dealers on campus at one time.”
According to the Journal, one officer told three students that he was selling $20 worth of cocaine for $10 and escorted the students to an undercover police car. The three students were arrested for agreeing to purchase cocaine and charged with cocaine possession and conspiracy, the Journal reported.
The Journal reported that one student, a freshman, was arrested after trying to sell $10 worth of marijuana to an undercover officer. The student was charged with marijuana distribution and conspiracy.
In total, five people were arrested on suspicion of selling marijuana, two on suspicion selling methamphetamines, and the rest on suspicion of trying to buy marijuana from the officers.
Anderson said most of the people arrested in the bust were repeat offenders. She said that after APD started to monitor areas south of Central Avenue more closely, dealers moved to the University area thinking police would not be able to follow them.
“My understanding is some of these people had prior charges, and it appears that they may have come from other states,” she said.
Anderson said that although UNM has its own police force, APD is still authorized to make arrests on campus. She said APD has regularly held patrols around the University in the past.
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APD Public Information Officer Tasia Martinez declined to comment on the arrests. She said that although APD conducted the bust, the narcotics sergeant “asked that (APD) refer all inquiries to the UNM PIO (public information officer) who has been sufficiently briefed on this incident from last week, according to the investigative unit.”
But UNMPD Public Information Officer Robert Haarhues also declined to comment on the bust, saying his department was not involved.
“UNM had nothing to do with the arrests made on campus,” he said in an email Monday.
Anderson said the students who were arrested will face disciplinary actions from the University. She said UNMPD requested reports of the students’ arrests from APD, and that the dean of students will determine appropriate punishments based on the reports.
“There will be disciplinary actions to be taken,” she said. “They could even be up for expulsion.”
Anderson said the bust was a successful move by police.
“It’s all because it is an open location, because police patrol the area and because students care,” she said.
