MEN SENTENCED FOR DISTRIBUTING GHB

2 Received Probation, While Another Got A Year And A Day. A Fourth Person
Convicted In The Case Is Scheduled To Be Sentenced Next Week.

Three men convicted of conspiracy to distribute GHB were sentenced Thursday
in federal court in Roanoke.

GHB, also known as gamma hydroxybutyrate, gained popularity among
bodybuilders because it was supposed to develop muscle mass and help users
experience a euphoric effect. In recent years, however, it has become known
as the "date-rape drug."

The defendants in the case were not connected with date rape during their
November trial, however.

The federal government named the substance a Schedule I drug in March 2000.
Because GHB was not a Schedule I drug at the time the conspiracy occurred,
the defendants were charged with violation of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic
Act, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Giorno.

Gary Duane Ellis, 31, of Roanoke, was sentenced to 12 months and one day
for convictions on the misdemeanor charges of conspiracy, distribution of
GHB, and running a lab without properly registering with the Food and Drug
Administration. He was also convicted on a felony charge to mislead or defraud.

Tracy Christopher Lupton, 28, of Roanoke, was sentenced to probation. He
had been convicted of conspiracy and distribution, both misdemeanors, and
acquitted of the felony charges to mislead or defraud on both counts.

Another defendant, 26-year-old Joseph Bailey of Vinton, who pleaded guilty
to one felony conspiracy count on the eve of the trial and testified as a
government witness, was also sentenced to probation.

The fourth defendant convicted in the case, Shawn Franklin Plogger, 27, is
scheduled to be sentenced next week.