Real Life 21 Jump Street Undercover Operation Leads to 14 Drug Arrests

The plot to the hit comedy 21 Jump Street is about two police officers straight out of the academy who go undercover in a local high school to bust a drug ring. Fiction turned reality outside of Fresno, CA when a police officer straight out of the academy went undercover at a local high school for 8 months in an attempt to break up a drug ring.

Now 14 individuals, including 12 students, will need a drug crimes lawyer after being caught distributing cocaine, marijuana and prescription pills.

It might seem too crazy to be true, but Alex Salinas (braces and all) managed to successfully fool students and teachers into thinking he was just another student.

Even one student admitted that she hoped Salinas would ask her to the prom before she found out he was actually an undercover cop.

Salinas posed as a student named Johnny Ramirez and even completed homework assignments to ensure that his cover wasn’t blown. According to Salinas, he got better grades his second go around than he did when he was a legit high school student.

“Ramirez” looked for every opportunity to buy drugs that he could, building a case before switching out of his school clothes and into his police uniform to assist with the arrests.

Most of the students arrested are juveniles, so their punishments will vary. For the defendants over 18, they could face as many as 7 years in county jail if it is determined that the sold drugs to a minor.

The sting was the end product of an increase in complaints from parents regarding drug activity on campus.

As for Salinas, he is back working a regular beat and says that he has even run into a few of his former “classmates” since the arrests.