Florida School Security Guard Arrested for Selling Weed and Cocaine While on Duty
After a month of undercover operations, Miami-Dade County police detectives say they have picked up a school security guard moonlighting as a cocaine and marijuana dealer while on breaks from keeping kids safe. Jamie Green, who worked at Felix Varela Senior High School in West Kendall, was booked Tuesday on several charges of dealing drugs. According to a warrant, a suspected customer of Green told officers that he had been buying from the security guard on his campus breaks for several years.
The 43 year old school district employee has not been accused of selling drugs to the students of Felix Varela High, though the Miami Herald reported that police are “still exploring the possibility.” Investigators claim that his practice was to leave the school to conduct business. Green’s alleged modus operandi was to make sales while still wearing his security guard uniform at a gas station close to the school. Felix Varela High is located in an unincorporated community that lies along the west side of the Florida Turnpike.
This fall, the ACLU released an analysis of Miami-Dade County arrest and booking data suggesting that Black Floridians are four times more likely than whites to be arrested. The same study found that Black people are 5.5 times more likely to be convicted of a crime, and six times more likely to be incarcerated as a result. In a county where Black people make up 17 percent of the population, they accounted for 38 percent of total arrests. Apprehensions of Black people for minor cannabis charges is actually on the rise, even after Miami-Dade county commissioners passed a resolution in 2015 decriminalizing marijuana possession of less than 20 grams.
The Arrest
Green was arrested after a month-long undercover operation that was undertaken in a collaboration involving the Miami-Dade County narcotic bureau, Hammocks District Station, and the state attorney’s office. Apparently, an informant (whose identity has not been released) bought drugs several times from Green in October while under police surveillance. Florida’s drug-free zone laws state that the severity of drug offenses rise one degree when they are committed within 1,000 feet of schools or other protected institutions.
On Monday, police officers found their opportunity to move. A man named Alberto Ferro allegedly bought cocaine from Green, who was in his car at the time. When Green saw detectives approaching on foot, he attempted to drive away and even tried to swallow his drug stock, according to a search warrant.
The next day, detectives performed a raid on Green’s home. They reported finding almost 30 grams of cocaine, 790 grams of cannabis, and over $2,000 in cash.
Felix Varela High School opened in 2000 to help with overcrowding issues at the nearby G. Holmes Braddock and Miami Sunset High Schools. It is located in Kendall, Florida, where the 2010 US Census reported that 63.7 percent of the population identifies as Hispanic or Latino. The school was named for an exiled Cuban priest known for his work in human rights advocacy.
On Twitter, individuals identifying themselves as Varela High students and alumni expressed surprise at Green’s apprehension. But apparently, some saw certain suspicions confirmed. “Lmao that’s what I was saying,” commented Twitter user AM6ITIOUS on an article that reported the security guard’s arrest. “Ain’t no way Varela paycheck was responsible for that Cadillac.”
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