And you think we are the "druggie" school...

info197176 · Post by **info197176** » Sat Mar 04, 2006 10:19 am

Eight MSU students busted in drug sting

By TED SULLIVAN, Chronicle Staff Writer

Eight Montana State University freshman living in North Hedges Hall were charged Thursday with selling drugs ranging from cocaine and ecstasy to mushrooms and marijuana.

Montana State University Police and Missouri River Drug Task Force investigators arrested the students Thursday night after two months of investigating them with undercover informants, who wore body wires while purchasing the drugs, according to court records.

All eight students will be suspended from the university and evicted from North Hedges Hall for student conduct violations, according to Courtney Stryker, MSU's dean of students.

It was the largest drug bust at MSU in at least a couple years, MSU Police Chief Robert Putzke said.

It is unusual to have that many students involved in selling that many drugs from their dorm rooms, Putzke said.

Drug task force detectives began investigating the students in January after MSU police learned of the alleged drug ring, according to court records. At that time, the students were selling cocaine and ecstasy, mushrooms and marijuana.

A couple of the students went to Spokane, Wash., bought ecstasy and returned to MSU to sell the drug.

They also bought cocaine in Bellingham, Wash., and brought the drug back to campus.

In February, the students pooled their money together and some of them traveled to Denver to buy cocaine. A few days later, they sold cocaine to an undercover informant and other MSU students.

The students worked together to go to Denver a second time to buy more cocaine.

They split the gas, introduced each other to drug dealers and combined their cash to buy cocaine with an intention of selling it.

A district judge signed warrants for the arrest of all eight students involved in the drug ring. The students were arrested and taken to Gallatin County's jail Thursday night.

"We condemn the possession, selling and use of drugs," MSU Vice President for Student Affairs Allen Yarnell said. "The university will cooperate and is cooperating with the investigation."

Yarnell discussed the drug bust with President Geoff Gamble, Provost David Dooley and other MSU officials while they were at the Board of Regents meeting in Dillon.

"We were all greatly saddened," he said. "It gets your attention and saddens you when eight freshman students are arrested on campus."

MaZooLaGriz · Post by **MaZooLaGriz** » Sat Mar 04, 2006 10:34 am

Tsk, tsk, tsk. A school in decline, for sure.

bozbobcat · Post by **bozbobcat** » Sat Mar 04, 2006 11:53 am

Stupid kids...they make all of us look bad.

MaZooLaGriz · Post by **MaZooLaGriz** » Sat Mar 04, 2006 12:21 pm

bozbobcat wrote:Stupid kids...they make all of us look bad.

Well, now that you've gone and introduced a note of seriousness on the Smack board, I'll have to agree and acknowledge that we've certainly had more than our share. Glad that luck managed to keep me from being a statistic in the 70's!

briannell · Post by **briannell** » Sat Mar 04, 2006 12:24 pm

only 3 from MT - others from out of state

but, yes it makes the school look bad, however, compared to other campuses it's a drop in the bucket.

being from CA, I can say some of our local high schools had bigger "drug rings" than MSU just busted. sad but completely true.

El_Gato · Post by **El_Gato** » Sat Mar 04, 2006 1:02 pm

Yeah, the biggest difference being that this IS news in Bozeman.

This story wouldn't even show up on the radar at dUMb. BTW, it's my understanding that all 8 students have already been accepted for spring semester in Missoula...

longhorn_22 · Post by **longhorn_22** » Sat Mar 04, 2006 1:06 pm

El_Gato wrote:Yeah, the biggest difference being that this IS news in Bozeman.

This story wouldn't even show up on the radar at dUMb. BTW, it's my understanding that all 8 students have already been accepted for spring semester in Missoula...

Yes they have. I heard that this morning.

MaZooLaGriz · Post by **MaZooLaGriz** » Sat Mar 04, 2006 4:13 pm

You're a "turd what falled out of a tall cow's ass", El Gato.

Bozgriz · Post by **Bozgriz** » Sat Mar 04, 2006 9:34 pm

El_Gato wrote:Yeah, the biggest difference being that this IS news in Bozeman.

This story wouldn't even show up on the radar at dUMb. BTW, it's my understanding that all 8 students have already been accepted for spring semester in Missoula...

Jeez...what a pathetic statement.

Hell's Bells · Post by **Hell's Bells** » Sat Mar 04, 2006 10:48 pm

honestly i am amazed it took this long to catch a drug ring running in hedges...

Grizlaw · Post by **Grizlaw** » Sun Mar 05, 2006 1:17 pm

El_Gato wrote:This story wouldn't even show up on the radar at dUMb. BTW, it's my understanding that all 8 students have already been accepted for spring semester in Missoula...

Is this actually a (confirmable) truth, or is it just smack?

I'm not denying that there are drugs at UM, but it's certainly not condoned by the administration. I find it a little hard to believe that the school would rush to accept eight students who are each facing what could turn out to be multiple federal felony drug counts.

And BTW, although I've been away from Missoula for ~5 years, when I was there, this certainly would have been big news there as well. Pot was smoked pretty openly when I was there, but any "harder" drugs (e.g., coke, ecstacy) were not as tolerated.

El_Gato · Post by **El_Gato** » Sun Mar 05, 2006 5:09 pm

SMACK board, gentlemen; smack board...

Grizlaw · Post by **Grizlaw** » Sun Mar 05, 2006 5:19 pm

El_Gato wrote:SMACK board, gentlemen; smack board...

I didn't think you could be serious about that, but I thought I'd ask...

And getting back on topic, I'm glad to see that MSU students are moving up in the world. All they need now is some LSD and some Doors albums...

MaZooLaGriz · Post by **MaZooLaGriz** » Sun Mar 05, 2006 6:57 pm

El_Gato wrote:SMACK board, gentlemen; smack board...

Well then... S-M-A-C-K

webdav · Post by **webdav** » Sun Mar 05, 2006 8:30 pm

Hell's Bells wrote:honestly i am amazed it took this long to catch a drug ring running in hedges...

I got a good giggle out of this...

My one year in the dorms was 2nd South Langford... unless you count the semester I lived in my wife's (then girlfriend) room in Hapner...

Hell's Bells · Post by **Hell's Bells** » Sun Mar 05, 2006 9:57 pm

webdav wrote:
Hell's Bells wrote:honestly i am amazed it took this long to catch a drug ring running in hedges...
I got a good giggle out of this...

My one year in the dorms was 2nd South Langford... unless you count the semester I lived in my wife's (then girlfriend) room in Hapner...

I have been told that you can find anything you want in the hedges and i am sure it is the same way with at least one dorm in msla

Topher · Post by **Topher** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 1:26 pm

Hell's Bells wrote:
webdav wrote:
Hell's Bells wrote:honestly i am amazed it took this long to catch a drug ring running in hedges...
I got a good giggle out of this...

My one year in the dorms was 2nd South Langford... unless you count the semester I lived in my wife's (then girlfriend) room in Hapner...
I have been told that you can find anything you want in the hedges and i am sure it is the same way with at least one dorm in msla

Absolutely, I go to school at UM and we have druf offense write ups in the Kaiman (school newspaper) every week. We have our problems just as MSU does (probably no significant difference). As much as one would like to believe that Missoula is the druggie school, every school has it's problems. But to imply that UM if above this is just plane stupid, and kicking a school when it is down. This belongs on smack, and it is the pot calling the kettle black. Both schools have their black sheep.

Topher · Post by **Topher** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 1:26 pm

Hell's Bells wrote:
webdav wrote:
Hell's Bells wrote:honestly i am amazed it took this long to catch a drug ring running in hedges...
I got a good giggle out of this...

My one year in the dorms was 2nd South Langford... unless you count the semester I lived in my wife's (then girlfriend) room in Hapner...
I have been told that you can find anything you want in the hedges and i am sure it is the same way with at least one dorm in msla

Absolutely, I go to school at UM and we have drug offense write ups in the Kaiman (school newspaper) every week. We have our problems just as MSU does (probably no significant difference). As much as one would like to believe that Missoula is the druggie school, every school has it's problems. But to imply that UM if above this is just plane stupid, and kicking a school when it is down. This belongs on smack, and it is the pot calling the kettle black. Both schools have their black sheep.

MSU Toddler · Post by **MSU Toddler** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 2:48 pm

nice post Topher! i couldn't agree more.