Teacher arrested for alleged drug trafficking

SPLENDORA, TX It was the end of the school day Wednesday when first grade bilingual teacher Elena Ducoing was called into the office at Splendora's Greenleaf Elementary and arrested. Montgomery County sheriff's investigators suspect her in an number of crimes, including laundering millions of dollars and trafficking marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamines.

During their six month investigation, officers seized computers, documents, 10 pounds of marijuana, cocaine, cash and a money counting machine from her one-story house in the Carriage Hills subdivision in Conroe. She lives there with her three children and husband. That is, until he was arrested last month on the same charges and linked to one of Mexico's most violent drug cartels.

A neighbor we spoke with didn't want to be identified.

"You think about, that you wouldn't have those type of people living in your community because you just don't see that here," she told us.

It's Ducoing's second year to teach in Splendora ISD. District officials say she has a clean disciplinary record. They're concerned about her, but their focus is her six-year-old students.

"We had seven days interrupted because of Hurricane Ike. We don't need their learning disrupted any more," said Splendora ISD Superintendent Dr. Thomas Price. "Our big concern is to make sure this doesn't disrupt their learning process and to make sure we have a good teacher in there in place."

Ducoing was being booked in the Montgomery County Jail Wednesday. The district plans to send letters home on Thursday with all 750 students who attend Greenleaf. There will also be an open house to discuss what has happened. Ducoing is suspended with pay until she has her day in court.

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