LARGEST OXYCONTIN BUST IN THE COUNTRY

Members Of Oxycontin Ring Plead Guilty In Federal Court

ABINGDON - Seven Lee Countians pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to
distributing more than 66,000 OxyContin pills with a street value of over
$2.3 million, said U.S. Attorney John L. Brownlee.

The pleas are the result of an investigation that took more than a year and
involved individuals in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee.
Those who pleaded guilty were Jerry Wayne Robinson, the alleged kingpin of
the drug-selling organization, Tammy Hess, James Dierth, Janet Hess,
Crystal Alsup, Tammy Gibson and Julie Stapleton.

Robinson pleaded guilty to managing a continuing criminal enterprise, made
up of at least five individuals, from which he derived substantial income,
said Brownlee in a news release.

Robinson further admitted that this organization was responsible for the
distribution of more than 66,000 OxyContin pills between October 1998 and
January 2001.

He additionally pleaded guilty to using a firearm during a drug-trafficking
crime, which involved trading firearms for pills last July. He faces a
mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in prison with a maximum of life in
prison and a fine of up to $2.25 million.

Deirth pleaded guilty to distribution of 2,599 pills, while Janet Hess
pleaded guilty to distribution of 435 pills. Tammy Hess pleaded guilty to
distribution of oxycodone. Alsup pleaded guilty to distribution of 3,284
OxyContin pills, Gibson pleaded guilty to distribution of 1,921 pills, and
Stapleton pleaded guilty to distribution of 2,500 pills. Each of these six
defendants faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $1 million. They
will be sentenced Dec. 10 at 10 a.m. at the federal courthouse in Abingdon.

The investigation was done by a joint task force composed of members from
the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and
Firearms; the Virginia State Police; and the Lee County Sheriff's Office.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric M. Hurt.