JAYESS — A late-night raid resulted in the arrest of one manand a large amount of marijuana being confiscated from his homeThursday, according to Lawrence County authorities.

Following the raid, Deriek A. Sanders, 25, of Jayess, wascharged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute andpossession of a firearm, said Lawrence County Sheriff JoelThames.

Officers found 19 pounds of marijuana and a .22 caliber rifle atSanders’ home on Laetrell Sanders Road in south Lawrence County,Thames said.

Thames estimated the street value of the marijuana atapproximately $48,000.

“That’s the biggest amount of marijuana we know of ever beingseized in Lawrence County, so we’re proud of it,” Thames said,adding that before Thursday the largest amount was 15 pounds.

Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department deputies and narcoticsofficers also seized $1,376 in cash, a Mazda 626 and a ChevroletSuburban.

They were assisted by officers from the Pearl River BasinNarcotics Task Force and Mississippi Department of Wildlife,Fisheries and Parks.

Thames was appreciative of the hard work of the officersinvolved in gathering helpful information before the raid, forparticipating in the raid and helping get a significant amount ofillegal drugs “off the streets.”

“This is making good on my promise two years ago that we weregoing to work hard on ridding Lawrence County of illegal drugs,”Thames said.

Thames said officers have been working diligently on the casefor at least a year.

“We’ve been hearing his name for over a year from people sayingthat he’s allegedly been dealing heavily on the Walthall-LawrenceCounty line,” Thames said.

Sanders is being held in the Lawrence County Jail, pending abond hearing in Friday in justice court.

According to justice court records, Sanders has no prior chargesin Lawrence County except a traffic violation.