Officers with the 21^st Judicial Drug Task Force, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department and Atmore Police Department teamed up Friday night for the 25^thdrug arrest of the year in the Atmore area.

Charlton Jones, 23, of Atmore was taken into custody on drug charges after a DTF investigation that lasted just over ten days agent Scott Walden said.

“We received a call on March 19 stating that Jones (aka “Debo”) had a lot of traffic in and out of his apartment,” Walden said. “The caller said they were concerned about kids in the area and the possibility of drugs being present.”

Walden said DTF agents immediately began an investigation into Jones’ activities and were able to observe the odd amount of traffic flowing in and out of an apartment on Patterson Street when the suspect was on the premises.

“We received another call on March 26,” Walden said. “The caller said Debo was supposed to get a load of possible marijuana in on Thursday, March 29.”

Walden said agents were able to obtain a warrant to search the apartment and executed that warrant Friday around 6 p.m.

“Upon entry there were four black males and two black females in the apartment,” Walden said. “The females were released on the scene and so was one of the males. Once inside the residence we searched and located 9.6 grams of marijuana on a table in the living room next to pair of digital scales commonly used for weighing narcotics.”

Walden said a more extensive search of the apartment led to the discovery of more well hidden, and more dangerous, narcotics.

“In a bedroom agent (Paige) Howell located a Pringles potato chip can which had a fake compartment.”

Underneath that false bottom Walden said agent Howell found what appeared to be powdered cocaine, along with $1,000 in cash.

“The substance tested positive for cocaine at the scene,” Walden said. “But we will be sending it to the lab to make sure.”

In total Walden said agents recovered $1,311 “believed to be the proceeds form the sale of narcotics.”

Jones was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance (cocaine) and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Walden said Jones has had a prior charge of possession of a controlled substance (cocaine) and was on probation at the time of his arrest.

Jones was transported to the Escambia County Detention Center in Brewton.