HAMILTON — The 100 “Ecstasy” pills that three teen-age girls were accused of selling to undercover deputies turned out to be a combination of aspirin and St. John's wort, an herb sometimes taken for depression.

        But that didn't spare the girls from criminal charges. In bargains with the prosecution, all three girls pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges in Butler County Juvenile Court.

        A 17-year-old from Cincinnati pleaded guilty to trafficking in a controlled, counterfeit substance. A 17-year-old from Elsmere, Ky., and a 15-year-old from Fort Mitchell, Ky., pleaded guilty to complicity to trafficking in a controlled, counterfeit substance.

        Judge David Niehaus sentenced the 17-year-old from Cincinnati to the state detention system for a minimum of six months.

        But he told her he would consider an early release in February.

        The other two girls received suspended detention sentences.

        Each of the three girls was fined $300 and must complete substance-abuse programs.

        The sale of the pills occurred Oct. 21 in the parking lot of a Kmart store in Hamilton.

        Ecstasy is a stimulant that has become popular among teens. Lab tests revealed that the pills the girls sold contained aspirin and St. John's wort.

        Judge Niehaus told the girls that if they had sold the counterfeit pills to real drug dealers or users for $1,400, they could have been killed.

        “When they found out the drugs were counterfeit, they would have gotten their $1,400 back one way or another,” he said.

        “Whenever you deal in the shadowy world of drugs, anything can happen, including your death. You mean nothing to them,” the judge said.

        Mary Lou Kusel, attorney for the 17-year-old Cincinnati girl, said her client was remorseful.

        “She's deeply regretful of the incident,” Ms. Kusel said. “She realizes how stupid she was.”

        The other 17-year-old was driving the other two girls in a car that her parents had bought.

        Judge Niehaus will decide later whether to allow the sheriff's department to confiscate the car, a 1993 Saturn, because of its role in the drug sale.

        The 17-year-old Elsmere girl and the 15-year-old apologized to the judge.

        “I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused,” the 15-year-old said.

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