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Two men plead guilty to selling illegal drugs
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Two men charged with selling illegal synthetic hallucinogens called "bath salts" from West Virginia head shops pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in West Virginia.
Jeremia Phillips, 30, and Derrick Calip, 40, were charged in April with selling the drugs, which can induce psychosis, from shops in Buckhannon and Clarksburg called Hot Stuff and Cool Things.
The owner of the shops, Jeff Paglia, 48, was also charged and has indicated he will enter a guilty plea.
His partner in the business, John Skruck, 56, a Texas strip club owner who employed Mr. Phillips and Mr. Calip, is awaiting trial.
The case is one of the largest bath salts prosecutions in the U.S. and by the far the biggest in West Virginia, where federal authorities say use of the drugs has grown dramatically.
First Published November 6, 2012 12:00 am
