By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – Authorities in St. John the Baptist Parish arrested two LaPlace men inside a Cambridge Drive apartment Tuesday afternoon after an assortment of illegal narcotics and other drug paraphernalia were found inside.

Germaine M. Jones, 36, 1117 Cambridge Drive, and Andrew Anderson, 29, 504 Monticello Court, were taken into custody without incident after narcotics agents executed a court-ordered search of Jones’ apartment around 3 p.m. Tuesday, said Capt. Dane Clement, public information officer for the St. John Sheriff’s Office. Clement said the raid was the climax of a two-month investigation into alleged drug sales at the apartment.

“Several citizen complaints from neighboring residents contributed to the investigation,” Clement said. “Regular drug activity was being reported and helped us apprehend two street-level dealers.”

Tuesday’s arrests came just a week after narcotics investigators arrested a Reserve man in similar fashion after complaints of drug activity coming from his East 26th Street home. St. John Sheriff Wayne Jones said he has put additional deputies in the narcotics division and said the group is currently working a series of similar cases.

During the search of the Cambridge Drive residence, investigators recovered crack cocaine, marijuana, oxycodone tablets and various drug paraphernalia used for the sale of illegal narcotics. Clement said detectives estimated the street value of the drugs at $2,800.

Authorities also learned that Jones’ 2-year-old son lived at the apartment and was often present during various narcotics sales, Clement said.

Jones was charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, possession with intent to distribute oxycodone, illegal possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled dangerous substance while in the presence of a juvenile.

Anderson, who was on parole at the time of the raid, was charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine and parole violation.

Both men were booked into the Sherman Walker Correctional Facility in LaPlace. Jones’ bond was set at $94,500, while Anderson’s was set at $60,000 and also includes a parole hold.