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SoCal Woman, 70, Indicted In Alleged Cough Syrup Ring

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Authorities say a 70-year-old Southern California woman and her son are among four people indicted for money laundering as part of a narcotics scheme to send a powerful and often-abused cough syrup from California to Texas, where it was sold for the street concoction "purple drank."

The U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement that Lucita Uy of Claremont has been indicted for buying three pharmacies so she could purchase more than 97,000 pints of Promethazine for the wholesale price of about $9.

On the streets of Houston, where the drug is especially popular, the same bottle can go for as much as $600.

Uy and her son, Lemuel Libano, have pleaded not guilty to two money laundering charges apiece and are scheduled to start trial Nov. 29.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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