A man and woman from Palmerton have been charged with drug possession.

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by patrolman Gabe Szozda of the Lehighton Borough Police Department:

On Sept. 25, Szozda, in conjunction with the Carbon County Drug Task Force, were informed that Steven Swartz, 30, and Stacey Stafiniak, 26, both of the 900 block of E. Edgemont Avenue, were bringing narcotics into the Lehighton and Palmerton area.

Police learned that Swartz and Stafiniak were going to be traveling to Hazleton to obtain crystal methamphetamine.

At 4:38 p.m. the surveillance team observed Stafiniak and Swartz getting into a brown Nissan Sentra in the area of the 900 block of Edgemont Avenue, Palmerton.

They followed the car to Lorenzo’s Pizza in Bowmanstown, where Swartz met a man before going to Hazleton. The car stopped at a car wash in the area of Church Street/Route 309 and Birch Knoll Drive.

Swartz got out of the car and left the area.

They continued to a Sunoco gas station off 309, where Swartz got back in the vehicle.

Police followed the vehicle to Jim Thorpe, where police stopped them in the area of 140 Susquehanna St.

The driver, Kaylee Seltzer, Stafiniak and Swartz were taken into custody without incident.

During the investigation, Stafiniak told an agent from the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General that she had meth concealed in her pants.

The substance was removed and tested. The substance was confirmed to be meth and weighed 29 grams.

Stafiniak, Swartz, and Seltzer were transported to the Lehighton Police Department.

Stafiniak said she went to Hazleton with Swartz and Seltzer because Swartz wanted to purchase a quantity of crystal meth from a man she knew as “Slim.”

She said that before going up to Hazleton, they stopped at Lorenzo’s Pizza in Bowmanstown, where Swartz sold his uncle an “Eight Ball” of meth for $100.

When they arrived in Hazleton, Swartz got out of the vehicle and got into another vehicle and left, eventually texting Stafiniak to meet him at a Sunoco gas station down the road.

Stafiniak said they picked up Swartz and went back to Palmerton, but Seltzer stopped at a local Kentucky Fried Chicken to use the restroom.

They eventually left and drove down to Jim Thorpe, where they pulled over and Swartz told Stafiniak to stash the meth in her pants.

Stafiniak said she goes with Swartz about once a week to purchase meth and that he sells it by grams or eight balls.

At first Swartz said that he and Stafiniak went to Hazleton with Seltzer so Stafiniak could purchase meth for Seltzer, and that when thy got there, he was picked up by a friend and was gone for an hour and didn’t know what had occurred while he was gone.

Swartz said he was picked up by Seltzer and Stafiniak at a Sunoco gas station and they left to go home.

However, Swartz later admitted that he reached out to a man known as “Slim” to purchase $400 worth of crystal meth.

Swartz and Stafiniak face charges of unlawful delivery or manufacture of a controlled substance; unlawful possession of a controlled substance; possession of drug paraphernalia; criminal use of communication facility and criminal conspiracy.

Charges are not listed for Seltzer.

Both are incarcerated in the Carbon County Correctional Facility, with bail for Swartz set at $75,000, and bail for Stafiniak set at $50,000.

Both are scheduled to have their preliminary hearings Oct. 9 before District Judge Joseph D. Homanko Sr. of Weatherly.