The plan by undercover drug agents was to have Earnest Ray Toney and Jon Lawrence Bottrell come to Fayetteville June 14 to purchase a half-pound of “ice” methamphetamine.

But the men were determined to do the deal at Home Depot in Peachtree City, police said. Regardless of the location, the men were arrested without incident once they handed over $6,500 for the deal.

Arrested in the drug reverse were Toney, 56, of Hampton, and Bottrell, 35, of Griffin, said Fayette Sheriff’s Drug Task Force Capt. Mike Pruitt.

Both men were charged with criminal attempt to traffic in methamphetamine, Pruitt said. Toney was also charged with possession of methamphetamine, he said.

Pruitt said an informant told agents about a Henry county man who had lost his drug connection to purchase “ice” and was searching for a new source. An agent posed as a dealer, proposing to do a transaction in Fayetteville. But Toney refused, saying he wanted the deal to take place in Peachtree City.

The agent met the men at Home Depot. Toney wanted to go inside the store, Pruitt said, and after a discussion handed the agent $6,500 in cash. With the money in his hand, Toney instructed Bottrell to take the agent to their vehicle to complete the transaction.

Unknown to Toney, uniformed sheriff’s deputies had entered the store, locating him in the store’s lumber department, Pruitt said.

Toney was arrested without incident, saying that he was in the store to purchase lumber, said Pruitt, adding that Toney was found to have a small quantity of methamphetamine on his person.

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