One step ahead of concert-goers, the Central Iowa Drug Task Force showed up at Hilton Coliseum to find what they expected.

Fourteen attendees of the Ben Harper and Jack Johnson concert at Hilton June 7 received quite a surprise when they were arrested for possession by officers dressed in street clothes.

Mark North, general manager of Hilton Coliseum, said the type of fans an artist attracts is a contributing factor to the likelihood of controlled substances at a concert.

“The demographics [of an artist’s fans] will lend itself to more use of controlled substances,” North said.

“These things happen at all popular concerts, whether it’s Elton John and Billy Joel, or Ben Harper and Jack Johnson. [With] some shows, it’s just more prevalent than others.”

The fourteen concert-goers were arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance, according to police records. The age of those arrested ranged from 15-28 years of age. Five of the fourteen arrested were under 18 and referred to juvenile court services.

The arrested parties could not be reached for comment.

Jerry Stewart, director of public safety, said many of the parties arrested traveled in for the concert from out of town and no quantities of controlled substances seized were substantial.

“In this particular case, we assigned several plain-clothed drug task officers from the Central Iowa Drug Task Force to patrol the parking lots and work inside Hilton Coliseum,” Stewart said. “They took action when they observed a law violation and as a result a number of charges were filed.”

Stewart said officials take a look at various dynamics when they are notified a concert is coming to Ames.

“Typically when we’re notified of a concert coming to Ames, we will check various Web sites and prior venues to determine the type of patrons likely to be in attendance,” Stewart said. “We also check demographics and crowd size and attempt to determine the average age of concert-goers. That information helps us determine how to staff.”

Stewart said this wasn’t the first time a drug bust has occurred at an Ames concert. In 1999, there were multiple arrests made at a Phish concert.