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.

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.