AUGUSTA (AP) – A dozen suspects, all but one of them students at the University of Maine, have been arrested on drug charges following a four-month investigation, authorities said Tuesday.

Three more students will also be charged in connection with a case that has focused attention on abuse by university students of the prescription drug Adderall, which is generally prescribed for patients with attention deficit disorder, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency said.

The agency said the investigation began in January after the arrest of a New Jersey man on cocaine possession charges at the Canadian border in Houlton. The suspect told police that he bought the cocaine from a university student.

The investigation led drug agents to a network of students who were selling cocaine and prescription stimulants.

“The investigation revealed that the abuse of Adderall is common among UMO students, and that abusers and traffickers have researched the symptomology of ADD so they may obtain a prescription from a physician,” said Darrell Crandall, MDEA commander.

“We are hopeful that these arrests will serve as a wake up call. Adderall has a high rate of abuse as it has a stimulant effect on people that are not afflicted with ADD,” he said.

Of those already charged, 10 face drug trafficking offenses and two are accused of cocaine possession.

AP-ES-05-03-05 1702EDT