Local authorities arrested an 18-year-old Friday Harbor High School student earlier today, Jan. 6, on drug charges following a narcotics investigation by local detectives.

The 18-year-old man, accused of dealing heroin and cocaine, was taken into custody at the high school shortly before 11 a.m. He faces multiple felony counts involving the sale and distribution of heroin and cocaine, according to the Sheriff’s department.

In a prepared statement released late this afternoon, Sheriff Rob Nou said an investigation was launched after the department received numerous tips that the young man had been using and dealing drugs. Those tips provided information that created the foundation on which the case against the man was built, Nou said.

“Many people throughout the community have expressed grave concern about the availability of drugs, especially hard drugs, to the youth on San Juan Island,” Nou said. “This case both validates those concerns, and is a clear illustration of the commitment of the Sheriff’s office to pursue and prosecute those who traffic in narcotics in our communities.”

The man was not identified in the press release. He was escorted out of the school in handcuffs at about 10:30 a.m., according to sources close to the school.