Principal Accused of Selling Drugs Blames Debts, Court Papers Show

A San Jose elementary school principal admitted selling methamphetamine for two years but said he was driven to drug dealing by gambling and heavy debts, according to court records.

Ricardo Trevino, 46, told officers shortly after his arrest that “it was a stupid thing to do and he was deeply ashamed,” police say in the court records.

Trevino, who was known for his work against drugs and gangs at Mayfair Elementary School, was charged Friday with a single felony county of transporting and selling methamphetamine, or “crank.”

He was arrested Wednesday after he allegedly sold one-eighth of an ounce of the drug to a police informant in the school parking lot.

Moments after his arrest, Trevino told Santa Clara County sheriff’s investigators that he had sold to the informant, his only customer, for two years, court records show.

Trevino said he was driven to drug dealing by gambling and heavy debts and because he was behind on child support payments, the records say.

Authorities said the investigation started when the Sheriff’s Department learned about drug activity at an apartment in Campbell. Campbell police and sheriff’s deputies made arrests at the apartment Tuesday, and people there told officers about Trevino, police said.