Suspects who were arrested as part of an undercover narcotics operation yesterday appeared in court for the first time Wednesday.
The operation involved several north county high schools and in at least one case, the drugs were sold inside a classroom.
Sheriff’s deputies served 19 warrants yesterday and the arrests targeted people selling drugs to undercover deputies who were posing as students.
Today, six of those arrested pleaded not guilty. They face a range of charges, from possession of marijuana to selling narcotics.
If convicted, the defendants could face between 4-6 years in prison depending on the seriousness of the drug, according to Deputy District Attorney Jorge Del Portillo.
One defendant, Ramon Kelly, had his bail set to $25,000 for a previous criminal record.
After their arraignment, the prosecutor said he hopes this operation sends a message.
“In that sense the message to the community is we're going to be present." Del Portillo said. “We want drugs out of schools and out of students hands and we're going do anything."
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Sheriff's Department