A Laurel Hill man was arrested Tuesday as part of what authorities say is a multi-state drug operation.

Deputies have charged 22-year old Antone Jerome Mack, of 17148 Lauch Blue Road, Laurel Hill and 27-year old Kary Quandree Bethea, of 1315 Moreene Road, Durham with various drug crimes.

"We've identified these suspects of big suppliers of ecstasy," said sheriff's investigator Scott Jacobs.

Mack is charged with two counts of trafficking a schedule I controlled substance and two counts of conspiracy to traffic. Bethea is charged with possession with the intent to sell and deliver crack cocaine and two counts of conspiracy to traffic.

Bail was set at $125,000 for Bethea and $100,000 for Mack, according to reports; both were placed in Scotland County jail.

Two outstanding warrants were also served on Mack, a result of two separate undercover buys of ecstasy, according to Investigator Scott Jacobs.

Mack was additionally charged with two counts of possession with the intent to sell and deliver a schedule I controlled substance and two counts of selling a schedule I controlled substance.

Deputies say they also seized $$4,000 worth of drugs during the arrest.

Jacobs said authorities received information that the two accused traffickers may be at the BP gas station at 20601 Wagram Road in Laurinburg.

Members of the Sheriff's Emergency Response Team, a group of deputies trained to handle high-risk situations, served warrants on the pair.

Deputies confiscated 198 pills of ecstasy, with an estimated street value of $1,980, and 19.9 grams of crack cocaine, with an estimated street value of $1,990, according to Jacobs. Also seized was a blue 2006 Chevrolet Impala, valued at $16,000, and $980 in cash.

Investigators hope they can convert the Impala into a sheriff's car for departmental use.

Jacobs said one of the two men is employed by an armored car service in the Lumber River area, though they could not confirm if this was how the pair were distributing drugs.

Sheriff Shep Jones said Mack and Bethea were selling narcotics across North Carolina and into South Carolina.

"We received information that these individuals were distributing ecstasy pills to Charleston, S.C., Greensboro, High-Point and Fayetteville," Jones said.

The Scotland County sheriff hopes these arrests dampen local drug activity.

"This is a huge bust," Jones said. "I think we have actually put a dent into the pill trafficking in this area. We were very fortunate to get this information and act on it immediately and was able to make this arrest."

Jones says there has been a proliferation of illegal pills, prescription and otherwise, used in Scotland County.

"We are finding with a lot of the undercover work we are doing that prescription drugs and pills of this nature are becoming more of a problem in Scotland County," Jones said. "We've seen it grow. We've seen an increase in the trafficking of pills.

"We are going to intensify the drug operations here in Scotland County and make it a safer place to live."

Jacobs said the Scotland County authorities are seeking to make this a federal drug case because of the severity of the charges and stiffer penalties associated with federal convictions.

A federal conviction would mean up to 20 years imprisonment and $1 million in fines per trafficking charge and up to 40 years and $1 million in fines for the cocaine charge.