Meth bust made near Sheriff's Office in Coupeville

An interdepartmental team of law enforcement served a search warrant Thursday at the home of suspected methamphetamine dealers less than a block from the Island County Sheriff's Office in Coupeville, according to Oak Harbor Police Department.

Carl Seim, the drug enforcement officer for Oak Harbor police, said they arrested two residents of the house and recovered about $1,000 worth of meth packaged in tiny plastic bags for sale.

Seim said he was aware of suspicious activity at the house on Center Street for some time. In fact, he said detectives at the sheriff's office have been watching the house from their windows.

But Seim said the detectives couldn't do much but be suspicious until he found a confidential informant who was able to get into the home and perform a "controlled buy" of meth a couple of weeks ago.

Based on that, Seim obtained a search warrant. On Thursday, the sheriff's Hard Entry and Arrest Team, the Coupeville's Marshal's Office and the Oak Harbor Police served the warrant.

Seim said the officers actually caught an occupant in the process of shooting up meth. As part of the evidence, they seized the spoon with dissolved meth on a cotton ball.

Seim said the officers arrested 44-year-old Laura Mandella on suspicion of possession of meth with intent to deliver and 64-year-old Michael Hardesty was arrested on suspicion of possessing meth.

Contact Whidbey News Times Assistant editor Jessie Stensland at jstensland@whidbeynewsgroup.com or 360.675.6611 ext. 5056.

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.