11 TEENS HELD IN DRUG SALES AT HIGH SCHOOLS

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif.--Authorities arrested 11 teenagers Tuesday on
suspicion of selling such drugs as LSD, marijuana and Ecstasy at high
schools in the Palm Springs area.

The arrests capped a six-month investigation by the Coachella Valley
Narcotics Task Force, which includes agents from the Riverside County
Sheriff's Department and the Indio, Cathedral City and Palm Springs
police departments.

The investigation focused on Cathedral City and La Quinta high
schools, where the arrests took place, said task force commander Val
Jimenez.

More than $5,000 worth of drugs was seized from the teenagers' homes
and schools, along with 26 firearms, most of them high-powered assault
weapons, Jimenez said. Some of the weapons were illegal to possess,
including a homemade rifle with a silencer, the commander said, and
others were not registered.

"One can only speculate why they had them," Jimenez said. "Most
belonged to parents, but they had access to them.

No suspects' names were released, but authorities said they were all
males. One was 18 and the others were younger.