By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

An Alabaster man and woman are being held in the Shelby County Jail on bonds totaling more than $100,000 apiece after they were charged with distributing marijuana through the mail.

Twenty-eight-year-old Britany Byington and 25-year-old John Smedley were arrested by the Alabaster Police Department at their home on Treymoor Drive on Nov. 1 and charged with multiple drug-related crimes.

Smedley faces charges of trafficking marijuana, attempting to traffic marijuana, carrying a pistol without a license, unlawful possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. He is being held in the Shelby County Jail on bonds totaling $121,500.

Byington faces charges of trafficking marijuana, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, unlawful possession of marijuana second degree and possession of drug paraphernalia. She is being held in the Shelby County Jail on bonds totaling $106,600.

Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force Cmdr. Kevin Turner said the arrest came as the result of a joint investigation between the Task Force and the U.S. Postal Service.

Turner said the agencies received a tip, leading them to discover the two suspects allegedly were mailing marijuana from the Alabaster Post Office off Alabama 119.

Turner said investigators allegedly discovered a significant amount of marijuana with the suspects at the time of their arrest, and also discovered marijuana after executing a search warrant on the suspects’ vehicle at the Pelham Police Department.

Both suspects are scheduled to appear in Shelby County Circuit Court for preliminary hearings on Dec. 4 at 8:30 a.m.