ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Belmont County sheriff’s deputies took more than 140 grams of crystal methamphetamine out of circulation Wednesday in what Sheriff David Lucas believes is the largest bulk seizure in the county to date.

Three suspects are behind bars, facing felony level drug charges, with more charges expected.

“That is the record,” Lucas said.

Lucas said his office received information about a shipment of methamphetamine coming into Belmont County for distribution.

“My detectives in the Major Crime Unit and also our criminal interdiction guys, we got information on this. Members of the Major Crime Unit investigated and put a lot of man hours in it, at the time when the delivery was supposed to be made, they had the surveillance all set up,” he said, adding that law enforcement then moved to the Pilot Travel Center in Morristown.

“It started at the Ohio Valley Mall and ended at the Pilot’s Station,” Lucas said, adding that officers utilized mobile surveillance. “They try to go someplace quick and fast, to do their drug deal and get out of there as quick as they can. They was at the Mall, things didn’t happen at the Mall, and they were still mobile.”

He said law enforcement surrounded the parked vehicle and and took the suspects into custody while they were in the middle of the drug transaction.

“(They) took the vehicle down. It was so quick,” he said. “They had no place to get rid of the drugs … Everything came together, everything worked together, and we caught them right in the middle of the act.”

Law enforcement took three people into custody. Amber K. Green, 29, of Wheeling, who also had outstanding warrants out of Belmont County for other drug-related offenses, now faces two counts of trafficking in drugs and one count of possession of drugs, all second degree felonies, and one count of fifth-degree possession of drugs. She is being held in lieu of a bond of $30,000.

Daniel K. Stoltey, 42, of Flushing, faces a second-degree felony charge of possession of drugs.

Chad A. Markle, 31, of Wheeling, faces an identical charge with Stoltey. Both men are being held in lieu of a bond of $15,000 each.

“This investigation is not over,” Lucas said. “Possibly additional charges and hopefully additional arrests are going to forthcoming.”

“There may be more charges on more people,” Detective Randy Stewart said. “It was pretty involved.”

Lucas added that the street value of the one-fourth pound of methamphetamine was $12,000. More than $1,600 of cash was also seized. He added that there has been an increase in illegal methamphetamine trafficking activity.

“For a time, heroin came in and was the major thing, now in the last few months,” Lucas said. “The heroin is still here, the fentaynl, the carfentanil.”

Lucas could not speculate about the reason for the trend.

“It’s all about supply and demand,” he said. “But a drug is a drug. It ain’t going to matter what you’ve got. If you’re dealing in marijuana, whatever, you’re going to get stopped, you’re going to get charged, and you’re going to get arrested.”

He noted the county has seen 12 overdose deaths last year, and the number continues this year.

Lucas said law enforcement in every community is on the lookout. He referred to several drug arrests in the past weeks, as well as a significant arrest in Barnesville resulting from a traffic stop.

“It’s there. We’re all working hard together, and we’re not giving up,” Lucas said. “They can pack their bags and get out of Belmont County, because we’re going to hammer them hard.”