ROANOKE, Va. — A couple from Mount Airy have been indicted on federal drug charges stemming from their alleged distribution of OxyContin and morphine in Patrick County.

Tony R. Hill, 51, and Donna G. Hill, 54, are accused of delivering up to $16,000 worth of OxyContin and morphine pills to the county on a monthly basis, according to Patrick Sheriff Dan Smith.

The Mount Airy pair were arrested earlier this week after indictments on multiple felonies against each were handed down in U.S. District Court in Roanoke. The alleged offenses spanned a 10-month period from June 2009 to April of this year, Smith said, during which 500 pills were distributed in Patrick each month.

He explained that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for southwestern Virginia agreed to prosecute the case due to the large quantity of pills being delivered and because it involved firearms transactions.

The federal indictments against Tony Hill include charges of conspiracy to distribute a Schedule II substance, distribution of a Schedule II substance (OxyContin), distribution of a Schedule II substance (morphine), two counts of possessing a firearm in the furtherance of a drug-trafficking offense and selling a firearm to a convicted felon.

Donna Hill is accused of conspiracy to distribute a Schedule II substance, distribution of a Schedule II substance (OxyContin) and distribution of a Schedule II substance (morphine).

Smith said the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) assisted the Patrick County Sheriff’s Office in the investigation, which was headed locally by Maj. Garry Brown, Sgt. Eric O’Connell and Investigator Darrell Rorrer.

The case involving the Mount Airy couple is the most recent in a series of major drug busts involving activities in the Claudville area, and the sheriff believes their arrests will “make a significant positive impact” in that community.

Smith says his office is constantly involved in covert narcotics operations countywide and urges citizens to report all suspected drug activity.

Pointing out that drugs such as OxyContin, morphine, methadone and hydrocodone are among many types of prescription pills being distributed illegally on a widespread basis, he said they can be just as dangerous as methamphetamine and cocaine when abused.