
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, June 21, 1994                   TAG: 9406210139
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE                                 LENGTH: Short

11 MEN PLEAD GUILTY IN MARIJUANA CASE

Eleven men pleaded guilty Monday to federal charges that they took part in a marijuana distribution ring that authorities said was run mostly by truck drivers.

``The majority of these men were legitimate truckers and haulers who supplemented their load,'' Assistant U.S. Attorney Don Wulthuis said.

Most of the men lived in Nelson and Amherst counties and the Lynchburg area. Two were from Texas. They pleaded guilty to charges ranging from distribution of marijuana to money laundering.

All the men pleaded guilty as part of a plea bargain in which the prosecution will make note of their cooperation for the judge. The men, most of whom were released on bond, face penalties ranging from five years to life in prison.

About 4,000 pounds of marijuana were acquired over the years by the ring, which a few of the men began in the late 1980s, authorities said.

As a result of the investigation, federal agents seized several houses in Amherst that were bought with drug money and tens of thousands of dollars used in drug transactions.

by CNB