That's the headline of breaking news from AP, datelined Frankfort, Kentucky.
Kentucky has turned over its supply of a key lethal injection drug to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.
Kentucky Justice Department spokeswoman Jennifer Brislin said in a statement Friday that the state turned over its supply of sodium thiopental to be used as evidence in a case in another jurisdiction.
The drug has been in short supply since its primary manufacturer in the United States, Hospira Inc., stopped making the drug earlier this year.
The updated AP report is, "TN turns over supply of lethal injection drug, written by Roger Alford and Kristin M. Hall. It's via the Tennessean.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has taken supplies of a key lethal injection drug from Tennessee and Kentucky, effectively preventing any executions in three states while it investigates how the drug was imported during a national shortage.
And:
In March, the DEA took Georgia's entire supply, putting a hold on executions there following claims from a defense attorney for a death row inmate that the state bought the drug from a fly-by-night outfit in the United Kingdom.
Kentucky officials confirmed on Friday that they turned their supply over to the DEA, and Tennessee officials said Friday that they relinquished theirs on March 22.
There are no scheduled executions in Kentucky because of a court order that has temporarily halted them.
Four Tennessee inmates were scheduled for execution in September and October of this year. Their executions have been put on hold pending a ruling over the constitutionality of Tennessee's lethal injection procedure.
The DEA and state officials have given few details about the investigation, except saying there were questions about whether it was imported properly.
Tennessee Department of Correction spokeswoman Dorinda Carter said there is no allegation that Tennessee did anything improper in purchasing the drug. Carter said the state did not purchase the drug directly from any foreign vendor, but records obtained by The Associated Press show the sales agreement sent to Tennessee for the purchase of the drug noted it would be going through U.S. Customs.
Reprieve, a London-based human rights group that opposes capital punishment, sued last year to prevent a British company from exporting a drug for use in Tennessee executions.
Kentucky officials said they were cooperating in an unspecified federal investigation and the state willingly turned over its entire supply, enough for three executions.
"There was no court order and no search warrant," said Jennifer Brislin, spokeswoman for the Kentucky Justice Cabinet.
Earlier coverage of Kentucky lethal injection issues begins at the post. You may want to go directly to this information about Kentucky's drug supply.
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