Ten people, including two Mount Hebron High School students, have been arrested and charged with using and intending to sell drugs in the Ellicott City area, Howard County police said yesterday.
Both of the male students, who were not identified because they are juveniles, were charged with crimes that included drug possession with intent to distribute, but police spokeswoman Sherry Llewellyn declined to say if the juveniles are suspected of selling drugs to other students.
In addition to the arrests Friday, police said they confiscated marijuana, methamphetamine, the animal tranquilizer ketamine, three vehicles and $15,000 from the students. Police had been investigating for nearly four months.
All of those arrested have been charged with drug-related crimes. Ellicott City residents Tammy Park and David Ray Rice also were charged with drug possession with intent to distribute.
Charges against Park, 25, of the 8200 block of Votta Way involve the sale of marijuana to undercover police officers on two occasions, according to charging documents. When police searched her home, they recovered 23 Valium pills, two scales, suspected marijuana, plastic bags and a pipe with suspected marijuana residue on it, the documents said.
Rice, 20, of the 8600 block of Bali Road, is accused of selling methamphetamine to an undercover officer, documents said. When police searched his home, they recovered three hypodermic syringes, plastic bags with suspected marijuana, a glass smoking device, baggies containing suspected crystalline methamphetamine and two vials containing ketamine, according to charging documents.
Ketamine is popular at nightclubs.
The juveniles were arrested at Mount Hebron High. One had nearly 3 pounds of high-grade marijuana, known as "kind bud," which can be sold for $4,000 to $4,500 a pound, Llewellyn said.
The other student sold marijuana to an undercover police officer, according to charging documents.
Mount Hebron High and school system officials did not return calls for comment yesterday.
All of the adults charged with crimes have been released from jail on their own recognizance or by posting bond.