AP Exclusive: How Del. got rare execution drugs

Just days before a manufacturer cracked down on the use of a key execution drug last year, Delaware was able to get a shipment of the sedative pentobarbital from one of the drug maker’s suppliers through a complicated and secretive procurement process.

Documents obtained by The Associated Press show that the process involved Delaware’s economic development director, a former drug store executive with close ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
Emails also show the process was kept secret from all but a few Department of Correction officials as it unfolded. Even the attorney general’s office was kept out of the loop.

The batch of drugs obtained last June was enough for several executions including one early Friday, but manufacturer’s restrictions could make it difficult for officials to find more pentobarbital when current supplies expire.