RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia officials have signed a contract with a vendor to obtain execution drugs, but are shielding the name of the vendor and the price of the drugs. A new state law passed last legislative session allows officials to keep secret the suppliers of drugs used to carry out executions. A memorandum of agreement obtained by the Richmond Times-Dispatch through a Freedom of Information Act request redacts not only the identity of the supplier, but the date the contract was signed and the amount the state will pay for each batch of drugs. The agreement may be good for up to seven years, but can be ended by the vendor at any time. There are seven men currently on death in Virginia, but no execution dates have been set.
