Covington County Jail added a weekend visitor Friday afternoon thanks to a free pass provided to an unsuspecting Red Level man by the 22nd Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force.

Agents with the 22nd Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force (DTF) arrested Randall Earl Mills, 40, of Red Level at his residence and charged him with possession of marijuana in the first degree after obtaining an arrest warrant.

Mills, who lives on Ready Creek Road approximately five miles west of the Red Level Town limits, did not resist arrest or attempt to elude law enforcement officers when he was arrested at approximately 3:30 p.m. on Friday.

He was cuffed and transported to the Covington County Jail in a Red Level Police car where he was to be held on a $10,000 bond. Mills was arrested after almost two weeks of undercover surveillance, according to a DTF spokesman.

After arresting Mills, DTF agents went into a wooded area adjacent to farmland on property that did not belong to the suspect and confiscated 28 marijuana plants from four different areas. Each plant is estimated to have a street value of $2,500.

Mills' arrest came after a two-week investigation initiated by information obtained from a confidential informant, according to a DTF spokesman.

The DTF was assisted by Red Level Police Chief David Anderson and his department.

"We would like to thank the Red Level Police Department for their assistance," a DTF spokesman said.

The 22nd Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force is funded by grants obtained from ADECA and matching funds. The agents on the DTF are law enforcement officers from the Covington County Sheriff's Department, the Andalusia Police Department and the Opp Police Department.

Every law enforcement agency in Covington County assists the DTF, according to a DTF spokesman.