The arrest of 46-year-old Steannie Chaplin Sawyer coincided with a two-month investigation based on complaints of foot traffic and anonymous calls, Lieutenant A. Thomas said this afternoon.

The brick and bags seized resulted in a total of 63 bags, Thomas said.

While not as rampant a problem as it is in Scotland Neck, where a pipeline from Patterson, New Jersey, has been documented in other cases, there is heroin in the county, Thomas said. He said he was not sure whether Sawyer had any connections within the Scotland Neck heroin trade.

“It’s so much cheaper compared to other stuff,” Sheriff Jack Smith said.

Thomas said the sheriff’s office executed the search warrant prepared by Sergeant M. Sledge of the narcotics unit around 5:30 this morning. It was served in the town limits of Woodland.

Sawyer was arrested and charged with possession with intent to sell and deliver heroin, possession of drug paraphernalia and felony maintaining of a dwelling for the purpose of selling or storing a controlled substance.

In a statement, Smith said, “Thanks to Sergeant Sledge’s due diligence and hard work on combating the illegal drug trade, 63 dosage units of heroin with a reported weight of approximately 1.2 grams will not be reaching the streets of Northampton County.”

The sheriff said, “I would like to commend Sergeant Sledge on this arrest as it makes a statement that the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office will not tolerate those who choose to pollute our community with poison. The Northampton County Sheriff’s Office is committed to working cases that involves the illegal narcotics trade.”

The Jackson and Woodland police departments assisted in the case, Smith said.

Sawyer was presented before a magistrate where probable cause was found for his arrest.

He received a secured $10,000 secured and a July 27 first appearance.