Los Angeles  - Authorities have arrested 96 people including 75 students at San Diego State University, in a huge drug bust that reflects the pervasive presence of narcotics on US campuses, the Justice Department announced Tuesday. According to the announcement, officials also took in a huge haul of drugs including marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy, methamphetamines and prescription drugs. They also confiscated guns and other weapons, plus 60,000 dollars in cash.

Among those arrested was a student who worked as an employee of the campus police and was one month away from graduating with a masters degree in Homeland Security. Another suspect found with 500 grams of cocaine and two guns is a criminal justice major.

The arrests were the result of an undercover operation launched last year after two girls on campus died of a drug overdose. Undercover agents of the Drug Enforcement Agency and San Diego State University police say they infiltrated seven fraternities on campus, finding that most or all of the members were aware of the drug dealing activity in their organizations.

Law enforcement sources gave one example of a fraternity member who sent a text message to his "faithful customers," alerting them that he and his "associates" were headed to Las Vegas for a few days and would be unavailable for transactions - but in the message he allegedly sent, he mentioned "sale" prices on cocaine.

"This operation shows how accessible and pervasive illegal drugs continue to be on our college campuses, and how common it is for students to be selling to other students," said San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis. "It's unfortunate that it took the accidental cocaine overdose of a student to refocus attention on the problem." (dpa)