San Diego : Undercover Cop Nets 9 Students at Patrick Henry

In the ninth such undercover investigation in less than three years, San Diego police Tuesday arrested nine Patrick Henry High School students for allegedly selling small amounts of drugs to an undercover officer.

The students were taken from their classes and escorted to the waiting arms of 10 police officers and the undercover officer who had posed as a student, said Lt. Skip DiCerchio of the narcotics task force. Six boys and three girls between the ages of 15 and 17 were arrested, and police were seeking two other students.

The students were taken to the police station in Kearny Mesa, where they were later released to the custody of their parents, DiCerchio said. The arrests were the latest in an ongoing effort by police and the San Diego Unified School District, which have been working together since January, 1984, when a similar undercover investigation also took place at Patrick Henry. Since then police have arrested 263 people, DiCerchio said.

Schools Supt. Tom Payzant said that, for security reasons, only he and his deputy superintendent were aware of the police presence in the district.