W.D. Va. prosecution of drug cases that result in death

Related to the earlier Len Bias post, the Roanoke paper has this article ("More cases fall under drug law," 9/19/04) that says: "Prosecutors in the Western District of Virginia have been making increasing use of a federal law that says if defendants are convicted of distribution of drugs that leads to death or serious bodily injury, they face a mandatory prison sentence of 20 years to life. The law was passed in 1986, in the wake of the cocaine overdose death of University of Maryland basketball star Len Bias."