Woman busted after trying to mail weed

Scotts Valley police arrested a woman who tried to ship a pound of marijuana to Massachusetts last week. Two days later, police arrested a man they suspect is involved in the cross-country drug operation.
Eva Marie Lyons, 36, of Santa Cruz, was arrested Oct. 18 after she allegedly tried to FedEx a package containing a pound of marijuana. Employees of a shipping store in Scotts Valley guessed she was trying to ship drugs, so they opened the parcel under store policy, Sgt. Mike Dean said.
“They said she was acting suspiciously,” Dean said.
After they uncovered the marijuana, workers called police with a description of the woman’s car. Police tracked her down just outside city limits. Inside the car, police found another pound of marijuana, shipping receipts and records of suspected narcotics transactions, Dean said.
Lyons was arrested on suspicion of transportation and sale of marijuana. She was released after posting $250,000 bail Oct. 20.
Dean said officers learned that Lyons was growing marijuana in the Santa Cruz Mountains on a remote piece of land owned by her friend Andrew Jaime Merritt, 33, of Santa Cruz. Police obtained a search warrant for Merritt’s property and found another 7 pounds of processed and packaged marijuana and about 5 pounds of cut marijuana used to make hash and kief.
Dean said police also found receipts and notes that showed Merritt knew marijuana was being grown on his property
On Oct. 20, Lyons returned to the police department with Merritt to pick up her car, which had been impounded after her arrest. Dean said police questioned Merritt and arrested him later that day on suspicion of conspiracy, cultivation and marijuana sales. He also posted his bail of $5,000 and was released.
Neither Lyons, who listed her occupation as a performer, nor Merritt, who identified himself as a landscaper, had a local criminal record before last week’s arrests, Dean said.