Students charged in prescription drug bust

MADISONVILLE, KY (WFIE) - A dozen students at Madisonville North- Hopkins High School have been charged in connection in a prescription drug bust.

Madisonville Police have concluded a week and a half long investigation at Madisonville North Hopkins High School.

Two students have been charged with trafficking a controlled substance and 10 others are charged with possession of a controlled substance.

Police said prescription drugs are a growing problem in schools.

"Prescription drugs became the drug of choice maybe three or four years ago," Hopkins County Schools Assistant Superintendent Linda Zellich said. "We have had incidents as low as the elementary school."

Zellich said prescription drugs at school are not a new problem, however, she said this case involving 12 students is one of the largest busts in the school system.

"All are juveniles and some are lodged at the juvenile detention center in Bowling Green, as others will have their day in court through the court designated worker and court officials," Sgt. Robert Carter with the Madisonville Police Dept. said.

Police said on February 19, one male student stole prescription drugs from a parent and brought it to school.

That same day, two other students were charged with possession of a controlled substance.

Last week, as the investigation continued, more students were charged.

"We have an additional individual charged with trafficking and we have an additional eight charged with possession of a controlled substance," Carter said.

"It's heightened our awareness of it," Zellich said.

Zellich said those students involved face a 10 day suspension and are subject to future random drug testing.

"We are not going to allow drugs in our schools," Zellich said. "If you bring them in, we are eventually going to find out and take corrective action."

"We are going to continue to be proactive, and we are going to step it up even more with more education," Carter said.

Police said there were both male and female students charged in this incident.

A total of four students have been sent to the juvenile detention center in Bowling Green.

All of those students are male.