Superintendent Graeff Says District Is 'Not So Naive' About Drug Availability

Ramona Unified School District's superintendent said he was "delighted" that only one Ramona High student dealer was arrested in "Operation A Team," which ended yesterday with 16 arrests.

But that doesn’t make the district naive about drug availability in the community, said the school chief, Robert Graeff.

"We are in full support of the operation," he said "This tactic has been used repeatedly throughout San Diego County school for nearly 30 years and has been remarkably successful—evidenced by the decreasing numbers in student arrests."

The operation, known only to superintendents, was initiated after Poway deputies noticed several “high-profile” overdoses in a short period of time, Gore said.

Teachers and principals didn’t know that the new transfer students—undercover deputies in their 20s with transfer paperwork, class schedules, test grades
and “parents”—were in classrooms to tap into the drug scene.

"Sheriffs contacted me several months ago to gain my personal support and to let me know about the plan," Graeff said. "They then let me know just a few days ago that the plan was coming to an end and that arrests would be made on- and off-campus. No other employee or board member was made aware until [Tuesday morning]." 

Graeff said the Sheriff's Department will brief local school administrators to "give us a better picture of what the undercover deputy discovered throughout the experience, enabling us to take even more effective measures to keep drug traffic off the campus."

The Ramona Unified superintendent said that while this operation and subsequent arrests indicate the local high school has become "much safer for students," it doesn't mean that drugs aren't a problem in the area among teens.

"At the same time, we are not so naive as to to believe that students do not have access to a variety of illegal substances throughout the community—just as in other areas across the county," Graeff said.

Those arrested Tuesday in the operation included:

• Male juvenile from Poway
• Male juvenile, resident of Poway, arrested at Poway High School
• Male juvenile, resident of Poway, arrested at Mt. Carmel High School
• Female juvenile, resident of Ramona, arrested at Ramona High School
• Male juvenile, resident of San Marcos, arrested at Mission Hills High School
• Johnny Nguyen of Poway
• Philip Silva of San Diego
• Christopher Payne of Ramona
• Kevin Meza of San Marcos
• Jesse Escalante
• Ramon Kelly of Vista
• Edwin Sanchez of San Marcos
• Milton Ortena of San Marcos
• Maxwell Gaffney of Ramona
• Skylor McGee of Ramona

—Shauntel Lowe contributed to this report