2 arrested; marijuana seized

FLORENCE - Two women were arrested and more than $90,000 in marijuana seized Monday after a two-year drug investigation.

Debra Kaneitha Horton, 50, 901 Pruitt St., Florence, and Pamela Michelle Jones, 36, 117 Button Ave., Florence, are charged with attempted trafficking in marijuana, said Lauderdale County Drug Task Force officials.

They were arrested after the marijuana was delivered to their houses through the mail.

Authorities said the marijuana weighed more than 37 pounds and was shipped in three boxes.

Task force agent Tim Glover said the marijuana was being delivered to Florence for resale.

"They're upper-level dealers, and we have information that they were selling in multiple counties, so we believe they were moving quite a bit of marijuana," he said.

Glover said each box contained "mini-bales" of marijuana.

Glover said the drug task force, U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force, Florence police and U.S. postal inspectors executed search warrants at the Button Avenue and Pruitt Street houses.

Authorities said no one was at a third location but a package was taken into custody.

"These individuals have been under investigation for at least two years, and we recently got information they could be getting a shipment in," Glover said.

"We had been watching the houses since last week and it finally arrived Monday."

Agents said they tracked the shipment to an area in south Texas.

"We're still working with other agencies at this time to try and determine the exact location where the marijuana came from," Glover said.

Horton and Jones are being held in the Lauderdale County Detention Center on bail of $25,000 each.