HARRINGTON – What started as a routine stop during an operating under the influence detail in Washington County resulted in the arrest of two Cherryfield residents on heroin trafficking charges.

Alexis Velez, 42, and Hattie Alley, 24, were taken into custody early Saturday morning and remained Sunday evening at Washington County Jail on $100,000 cash bail each.

Washington County Sheriff Deputy Travis Willey, working the OUI detail, initially stopped a 1998 Ford Explorer after spotting a suspended registration.

The car was registered to Alley, but driven by Shannon Crowley, 27, who also had a suspended license. Alley and Velez were passengers.

While Willey was searching the vehicle, he found a small amount of heroin on Alley and called for backup, according to police reports.

The car subsequently was searched and deputies found 156 individual bags of heroin worth anywhere from $4,000-$5,500, Willey said. Police also found $3,000 in cash.

Velez and Alley were arrested and charged with trafficking of scheduled drugs. Crowley was charged only with operating after suspension, but Willey said he likely could face additional charges related to the drug seizure.

After the traffic stop and seizure, Maine Drug Enforcement Agency officials obtained a warrant and searched a mobile home in Cherryfield where both Velez and Alley lived. Other drug-related material was recovered from the residence. Willey didn’t specify what was seized, but said that it further supported the drug charges.