A chemistry lab technician at Auburn University is accused of selling large quantities of date rape drug GHB. 
 
 Stephen Howard, 64, who works in the College of Engineering, was arrested Friday at his home just outside Auburn, Auburn Police Chief Paul Register said. 
 
 Register said no Auburn University students have been identified as victims of the drugs Howard allegedly sold. 
 
 "We feel like today the community of Auburn as well as this part of the state hopefully is a little safer because this person isn't out there anymore," he said. 
 
 The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Agency assisted in the estimated six-month investigation, Register said, following a Tuesday afternoon press conference at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Alabama. 
 
 Register said the investigation is still in the early stages. 
 
 Howard is charged with treatment of controlled substance analogues; possession with intent to distribute controlled substances; and possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug-trafficking crime, according to the criminal complaint. 
 
 Authorities say Howard purchased the drugs through Auburn University's license, but he paid for them himself. 
 
 Auburn University issued a statement today saying the institution isn't the subject of the investigation, and it's cooperating with police. 
 
 "The university is evaluating Mr. Howard's employment status in light of the information announced today, the university stated. 
 
 According to court documents, Howard sold an undercover agent 20 ounces of a liquid substance used to incapacitate women. 
 
 Shortly after that sale, an undercover agent purchased nearly a gallon of the same substance. During this purchase, Howard showed the undercover agent that he had a handgun, authorities say. 
 
 Following these purchases, lab tests confirmed that the liquid was the controlled substance called 1,4-butanediol. 
 
 [Auburn has issued alert to students.] 
 
 When ingested, 1,4-butanediol is converted into Gamma Hydroxybutyric Acid (GHB), commonly known as a date rape drug, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. 
 
 According to an affidavit, Howard told an undercover agent how the drug worked and that he "probably had five different girls pass out on him" while they were using the drug. 
 
 Search warrants were executed at Howard's home and his office at Auburn University on Friday. A handgun and sawed-off shotgun were seized from the residence. 
 
 DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Clay Morris said the date rape drug has seen a resurgence in the Auburn area as spice and heroin has in other parts of the state. 
 
 Authorities wouldn't disclose, however, any specific incidents of the drug being used in the Auburn area. 
 
 Morris said GHB can be purchased on the internet by the gallon, and its typically sold by the capful. 
 
 Street value of the drug is $10 per ounce, he said. 
 
 Howard's first court hearing is set for Wednesday at the Frank M. Johnson Jr. Federal Building in Montgomery. 
 
 Auburn police previously charged Howard with driving under the influence in April 1988, according to court records. He was later convicted. 
 
 Anyone who may have been a victim of the date rape drug in the Auburn area is asked to call the Auburn Police Investigative Division at 334-501-3140. 
 
 U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama George Beck warned bartenders and bar and restaurant owners that if they knowingly allow the date rape drug to be disseminated that they would be prosecuted. ||||| Community stunned by Auburn bust, 'resurgence' in date rape drug Posted: Wednesday, May 27, 2015 12:05 AM EDT Updated: Thursday, June 4, 2015 12:06 AM EDT 
 
 A bust by federal authorities in Auburn is shedding light on a dangerous element that's making a comeback in the college town's nightlife scene. 
 
 During a Department of Justice press conference Tuesday, local and federal agencies revealed that Stephen Howard, 64, of Auburn, was arrested on drug trafficking charges for selling large quantities of a “date rape” drug. 
 
 Howard, a lab technician at Auburn University's Polymer-Fiber Engineering lab, was using the lab's license number to order a chemical that converts to GHB when ingested, authorities said, adding that undercover buys were made from Howard and 2-3 gallons of the drug were seized. 
 
 According to court documents, Howard sold an undercover agent 20 ounces of a liquid substance used to incapacitate women. Shortly thereafter, another purchase was made from Howard for nearly a gallon of the same substance, a DOJ press release stated. During the second purchase, Howard allegedly showed the undercover agent that he had a handgun. 
 
 Following the purchases, DOJ says lab tests confirmed that the liquid was in fact a controlled substance called 1,4-butanediol. When ingested, 1,4-butanediol is converted into Gamma Hydroxybutyric Acid (GHB), commonly known as a “date rape drug.” 
 
 On May, 22, 2015, law enforcement executed search warrants at Howard's office on Auburn's campus, and at his home. He was arrested the same day. 
 
 Greg Bradshaw owns two restaurants in downtown Auburn and enjoys seeing people of all ages come out to have a good time. For him, it was unsettling to hear about the arrest and that officials are seeing a reemergence of the date rape drug on the city's streets. 
 
 “We know a lot of young people and we never hear in our circles of people using it recreationally or people having it put in their drinks,” he said. “You just don't hear that much about it at all so it is shocking that someone has gallons of this stuff and he's selling it locally. I wonder who he is selling it to?” 
 
 “It's surprising knowing that something like that could be happening here. It's such a big school, everything going as far as construction and development. It sounds like something off of TV. It's surprising. I'm appalled,” added Auburn resident Javarious Hopson. 
 
 Others were not as shocked by the news, including Lee Bradberry who owns a cigar shop in Auburn. 
 
 “I'm surprised that he got caught but not surprised that that kind of thing happens. It's right here in Auburn and it's everywhere,” he said. 
 
 Federal Authorities would not say if Howard's buyers were using the drugs at bars but police did reveal that they're cracking down, threatening full prosecution if any businesses are caught using the date rape drug on customers or allowing the drug to be slipped into drinks. 
 
 “Certainly the date rape drug seems to be flourishing on college campuses and bars and so forth. It must be stopped and eliminated,” said George Beck, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama. “I want to warn those bar tenders and owners of bars and restaurants that if they knowingly and intentionally engage in this type of activity or knowingly allow these types of drugs to flourish in their establishment, that they will be dealt with also. And whatever forfeiture laws are available through the DEA and FBI, we'll pursue those also.” 
 
 “GHB and the date rape drug have not gone away. We've just seen a resurgence here in the Auburn community and some of the college campuses,” added Clay Morris with the Drug Enforcement Agency. “You've literally removed a dangerous criminal element from not only the campus but from the streets of Auburn who was selling yet another type of poison that have potentially life altering and deadly consequences.” 
 
 Many are hoping that the case has bar-goers and party-goers taking even more precautions when they go out. 
 
 “It's supposed to be a safe college town. There are young 17, 18, 19, 20 year olds that don't know any better going out for the first time and something like that, it's really scary,” said Auburn resident Jaylin Thorne. “Never leave your drink unattended. You have to be really careful about what you're doing.” 
 
 “It's always best for people to be careful with their drinks, no doubt about it. We're pretty much a family oriented place but still there are things like this that happen,” Greg Bradshaw added. 
 
 If convicted, Stephen Howard faces up to 20 years in prison for distribution of a controlled substance, and a possible 32 year sentence on charges for possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. 
 
 Auburn University says it's evaluating Howard's employment and launching an investigation into how the chemicals were ordered. 
 
 “I always hope people are being vigilant about their safety because of the times we live in but hearing this, you definitely have to be more careful when you're going out to these bars and where they leave their drinks out,” Hopson said. 
 
 Copyright 2015 WSFA 12 News. All rights reserved.
– He wouldn't fit the typical profile of a campus drug dealer, but authorities say a 64-year-old chemistry lab technician at Auburn University was just that. And they say Stephen Howard wasn't just peddling weed, but a date rape drug, reports WTVM. Howard is accused of using his lab credentials to order a chemical that is converted to GHB when ingested, and he allegedly sold 20 ounces of it to an undercover federal agent and later a gallon. In all, authorities seized two to three gallons. It's not clear whether Howard had sold any to other customers, or whether any students were victims, but an affidavit quotes him as boasting to an undercover agent that he "probably had five different girls pass out on him," reports Al.com. During the second transaction, Howard allegedly flashed a handgun. For that, he faces weapons charges along with his drug-trafficking charges. He's still got his job in the College of Engineering for now, but Auburn says it is "evaluating Mr. Howard's employment status."