PRINCIPAL PROVIDED TIP THAT LED TO INVESTIGATION

HAZARD, Ky. - Yvon Allen had always regarded the park next to Perry County
Central High School as an idyllic after-school refuge for students.

But Allen, the school's principal, became disturbed last spring by
increased loitering there. "On some days, it would be close to a hundred
students and adults," he said.

Allen passed on his concern to Rod Maggard, Hazard's police chief, who
learned that Perry County Park had developed a nickname -- "Pillville."

Allen's tip and Maggard's check on it developed into a massive
investigation that resulted in the announcement this week of more than 200
indictments alleging illegal trafficking in OxyContin, a synthetic morphine.

"It ticked me off that people were nicknaming the park 'Pillville,' "
Maggard said yesterday. "After that, we began coordinating state and local
efforts to address the problem."

Investigators say overdoses of OxyContin have killed 59 Kentuckians in the
past 13 months, with Hazard, a city of about 6,500 people, and surrounding
Perry County shouldering much of the burden of what U.S. Attorney Joseph
Famularo described as an "epidemic" in Eastern Kentucky. The drug, a highly
addictive prescription medication often used to help cancer patients cope
with severe pain, attracted young people looking for an escape from the
pressures of adolescence.

Students at two local high schools said the pills -- popularly known as Oxy
or OC -- weren't that hard to get with a little trickery.

"They give it to people who come in and say their back hurts," said Heather
Rollins, a 16-year-old junior at Perry County Central. "They'll give it to
anyone. Kids take it because they say it makes them feel good and forget
their problems."

Maggard estimated that up to 85 percent of high school students in Hazard
have tried the drug, a figure with which the students generally agreed.

"Everybody knows about it," said Nikki Peazley, another 16-year-old junior
at Perry County Central. "I think the police chief is right.

"You can look around here and see a lot of them," Peazley said, gesturing
at the crowd in the school's cafeteria. "It's all kinds of students --
athletes, everyone."

Several students admitted trying the drug.

Randy Napier, a gym teacher at Perry County Central, said he has noticed
students he believes were using OxyContin. "They were withdrawn and had
that empty look," Napier said. "It wasn't hard to tell."

Perry County Central assistant principal Mike Hughes said several alarmed
parents called the school after discovering pills in their children's
possession. "The problem with the drug in school is a microcosm of that in
the community," he said.

At Hazard High School, principal Happy Mobelini said three students have
entered drug rehabilitation after acknowledging addiction to the pills.

Allen, the Perry County Central principal, said there may be far more
students with a problem who are relying on "student-to-student counseling."
He called the problem "an embarrassment to the county and the community."

Local police, meantime, say criminal activity skyrocketed in the past year,
from thefts to drug possession to forgery cases. "Ninety-five percent of
crime in Hazard is drug-related," Maggard said. "Many of the stolen goods
are recovered at the homes of drug dealers."

The Rev. Ronnie Pennington, who heads a local task force formed in November
to address the OxyContin epidemic, said the idea began at a prayer meeting
where people in the congregation spontaneously began talking about the
"heartache and pain" the drug had brought to their families.

"Since then, not a week goes by that I'm not dealing with this problem in
some form," said Pennington, pastor of Petrey Memorial Baptist Church.
"OxyContin has devastated so many families in Perry County."

One Eastern Kentuckian for whom OxyContin proved deadly was Michael Hardin.
Hardin, 41, of Chavies in Perry County, was found dead April 16 at his
home. The toxicology report sent to Perry County coroner Jimmy Maggard said
Hardin had a massive amount of OxyContin in his system.

"Normally, overdoses of opiates like heroin and morphine won't show up
specifically on the report," said Maggard, who is not related to the police
chief. "In this case, we knew what to look for because we found empty
bottles of OxyContin next to the man's body when we pronounced him dead."

Efforts to reach relatives of Hardin were unsuccessful.

Investigators believe that OxyContin has been prescribed too liberally.
John Couch, a Hazard police officer working with the local task force, said
some users "went from doctor to doctor and loaded up on the stuff." Several
local physicians declined to comment on the frequency with which they
prescribe the drug.