Wednesday, September 26, 2001
The Lee County residents will be sentenced Dec. 10
7 plead guilty in OxyContin ring

Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Hurt, who prosecuted the case, said many of the pills were coming from Mexico, where the market is largely unregulated.

By JEN McCAFFERY
THE ROANOKE TIMES

   Seven Lee County residents pleaded guilty Tuesday to distributing more than $2.5 million worth of OxyContin in the largest distribution prosecution of the prescription painkiller in the country.

    Jerry Wayne Robinson, Tammy Hess, James Dierth, Janet Hess, Crystal Alsup, Tammy Gibson and Julie Stapleton were part of a ring that distributed a total of 66,000 OxyContin pills from October 1998 to January 2001. They pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court in Abingdon.

    Robinson, 45, also pleaded guilty to using a firearm while trafficking drugs. Robinson traded firearms for OxyContin pills in July 2000.

    Robinson faces life in prison after pleading guilty, with a mandatory minimum of 25 years. He also faces a fine of as much as $2.25 million.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Hurt, who prosecuted the case, said many of the pills were coming from Mexico, where the market is largely unregulated.

    "They would bring back thousands of pills," Hurt said.

    Connecticut drug manufacturer Purdue Pharma, which manufactures the prescription painkiller, trimmed shipments to Mexico in May. The company also said it would change the markings from "OC" to "MX" on the pills it distributes there so they can be easily identified.

    Robinson would also buy prescriptions off large numbers of people domestically, Hurt said.

    The other defendants in the case pleaded guilty to the distribution of smaller portions of the 61,000 pills.

    Each faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of as much as $1 million.

    Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 10.

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