A Scotland Neck man faces marijuana trafficking counts following a search warrant execution Wednesday evening.

The man charged, Edward Lee Lanier, was a former deputy in the 1990s, the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office confirmed.

The raid also marked the return of the office’s Hazardous Entry and Arrest Team, which had been idle for two years, Lieutenant Shane Guyant said.

The raid occurred around 5:45 p.m. on Clarksville Drive and was based on intelligence received that Lanier, 56, was growing marijuana on his property, according to Guyant.

Narcotics agents located 26 mature plants, containers, potting soil and grow lights in a barn behind the man’s property. The mature plants weighed 14 pounds.  

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Lanier was at his residence during the raid and was arrested and charged with trafficking marijuana, manufacturing schedule VI, maintaining a dwelling for controlled substances, and possession of drug paraphernalia. 

He received a $25,000 bond and August 25 court date.

Sheriff Tyree Davis said, “Our narcotics agents have the daily task of fighting the war on drugs.  They put their lives on the line. As sheriff, I see the results of their work.  I will make sure that these narcotics agents have all of the tools they need to continue this fight.”

Davis said HEAT was revived due to the often dangerous nature of serving search warrants for narcotics violations. “Our HEAT was restructured last week and reactivated after a two-year hiatus. Today they executed their first of many search warrants as a new unit.  We have many specially trained deputies on this team. Their elite performance showed today and I appreciate their leadership, safety, and professionalism in an effort to ensure that no one was injured while they work to help keep our community safe.”

Said Davis: “The safety and security of our citizens and deputies is my number one priority.  The Halifax County Sheriff’s Office has a new vision and direction. We will continue to move forward with making our community safer. If you grow, sell, or use drugs in this county you may want to think about stopping or leaving.”