WINTON – It didn’t take long for a newly created law enforcement unit to produce results.

The County-City Narcotics Unit made their first arrest on Thursday night where a Murfreesboro teenager quickly found out that this new group – consisting of the Hertford County Sheriff’s Office and town police in Murfreesboro and Ahoskie – means business.

Jamel Antwan Stephenson, 19, of 1704 East Main Street, Murfreesboro, is incarcerated in the Hertford County Jail under a $50,000 secured bond on the heels of being charged with possession with intent to sale and deliver crack cocaine. Stephenson also faces a stolen handgun charge.

He was scheduled to make his first appearance in court on Friday.

The arrest stemmed from a search warrant served at 128-E Fairview Drive in Murfreesboro. That warrant was served by two members of the new County-City Narcotics Unit – Lt. Raymond Eure and Sgt. Will Liverman, both of the Hertford County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from Murfreesboro Police officers.

In addition to the illegal drugs, lawmen recovered a stolen firearm at the scene – a Bryco .25 caliber semi-automatic pistol. It was reported stolen from Larry Grant of Murfreesboro.

Hertford County Sheriff Juan Vaughan noted that the newly formed Narcotics Unit would be an asset to the area.

&uot;By combining forces, we felt this would be a more effective way to deal with the illegal drug traffic here within Hertford County,&uot; said the Sheriff. &uot;This works a whole lot better when it comes to investigating and arresting those who choose to sale and use illegal drugs in our county. The three departments represented on this new unit share a common goal, that of ridding our streets of this poison.&uot;

HCSO Captain Tim Lassiter is the officer in charge of the County-City Narcotics Unit. Other members include HCSO Deputy Brian Pierce, Murfreesboro Police Lt. Joe Burgess and Ahoskie Police Sgt. Jeremy Roberts.