Three Indicted for Conspiring to Distribute Synthetic Drugs
Owner Of Pamela's Secret, Two Employees Facing Federal Charge
HARRISONBURG, VIRGINIA -- Following a joint state and federal investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office, the Harrisonburg-Rockingham County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, the RUSH Drug Task Force and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia, three men have been indicted on federal conspiracy charges.
United States Attorney Timothy J. Heaphy announced today the unsealing of an indictment returned last week, charging the owner of Pamela’s Secret and two employees with drug analogue conspiracy charges.
Augustus Dean Julias, 48, of Harrisonburg, Va., Jeremy Bentham King, 47, of Broadway, Va., and Matthew Lee Comer, 32, of Weyers Cave, Va., have each been charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute a controlled substance analogue.
According to the indictment, Julias, King and Comer conspired to possess with the intent to distribute the synthetic substance, a-PVP, between July 2011 and June 2012. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum possible penalty of up to 20 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $1,000,000.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office, the Harrisonburg-Rockingham County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office and the RUSH Drug Task Force. Assistant United States Attorneys Grayson Hoffman and Ron Huber will prosecute the case for the United States.
A Grand Jury indictment is only a charge and not evidence of guilt. The defendant is entitled to a fair trial with the burden on the government to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
