FEDERAL JUDGE SENTENCES LEE COUNTY MAN TO MORE THAN 36 YEARS IN OXYCONTIN CASE

ABINGDON -- A federal judge sentenced a Lee County man Thursday to more
than 36 years in prison for illegally dealing in the potent narcotic
OxyContin. It is believed to be the stiffest sentence to date for a crime
involving the drug, federal prosecutors said.

"This is a victory for the community," U.S. Attorney John L. Brownlee said
after court. "Any time you take a dealer like this off the street Ö it's a
major victory."

Brownlee admitted the sentence was hefty, but said it was warranted because
drugs and guns are a deadly combination. He said his office will continue
to fight OxyContin abuse and its illegal distribution at every level.

U.S. District Judge James Jones sentenced Michael Short, 38, of Jonesville
to 30 years in prison for two counts of possessing a gun during a drug
trafficking crime.

That was the minimum sentence Short could be given for those convictions
because the crimes happened on different days, said Assistant U.S. Attorney
Eric Hurt. The first offense carried a mandatory five-year term; the second
offense 25 years, Hurt said.

"He received the guns as payment for the OxyContin," Hurt said, adding that
the offenses occurred in April and May.

The judge gave Short an additional 6 1/2 years behind bars for convictions
of conspiracy to distribute OxyContin, distribution of OxyContin and
possession of a gun by a drug user.

Short was convicted on all five charges following a four-day jury trial in
December.

The charges stemmed from the distribution of thousands of pills of
OxyContin by Short from January to May of last year, Hurt said. The drugs
had a street value of more than $100,000, he added.

OxyContin is a time-released formulation of the narcotic painkiller,
oxycodone, that contains 12 hours worth of pain relief in one pill. It is
usually prescribed for chronic, severe pain.

Abusers crush it and snort or inject it to receive a heroin-like high. It
has been linked to more than three dozen deaths in Southwest Virginia and
numerous deaths across the country.

Short was implicated by two teen-agers who were arrested for selling
OxyContin last year, Hurt said. The teens told investigators that they had
gotten the drugs from Short in exchange for stolen firearms, Hurt said.

The teen-agers later pleaded guilty in federal court and were each
sentenced to five years in prison, Hurt said.

The investigation of Short lasted several months and involved the Lee
County Sheriff's Office and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and
Firearms, Lee County Sheriff Gary Parsons said.

Short's June arrest iand his conviction were part of an initiative over the
past 1 1/2 years to stop OxyContin abuse in Southwest Virginia and Lee
County, Parsons said.

That initiative has been successful, and as of today, there are no major
OxyContin dealers in Lee County, Hurt said.

"We've made a difference," Parsons said. "Doctors are afraid to write
(prescriptions) as recklessly as they had before, and it's not as easy to
find."

The price of the pills has skyrocketed, showing that while the demand may
still be there, the supply is not, the sheriff added.

Defense attorney Barry Procter said he will appeal because he does not
believe swapping the pills for guns constitutes the use of a firearm during
drug trafficking.