Narcotics investigators arrested a 64-year-old woman on Dec. 11 for allegedly selling a controlled substance — prescription pain medication.

Vergia Jones, of Nelson Farm Road in Chocowinity, was charged with five counts of possession with intent to sell and deliver a schedule II controlled substance, according to a press release from Lt. Russell Davenport, head of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit.

Davenport said the arrest stemmed from multiple complaints by the public that Jones allegedly was selling prescription drugs. He said during the investigation, drug unit officers purchased Oxycodone pills and fentanyl patches from Jones. Both drugs are varying degrees of synthetic opiates. Davenport said Jones had a valid prescription for the Oxycodone, a fact that can impede an investigation.

“What’s hard is that if someone has a legitimate prescription, it’s hard to prove that they’re selling drugs unless we buy (drugs) from them. Or we have to arrest the person they’re selling to and hopefully they’ll cooperate,” Davenport said. “That’s why we need the (purchase) money in our budget.”

In an effort to crack down on illegal prescription pain pill sales, the North Carolina General Assembly has enacted some of the toughest drug diversion laws in the U.S. In 2014, more than 1,000 North Carolina residents died of drug overdose, most driven by prescription opioid medications and increased heroin use, according to the North Carolina Health and Human Services website. In September, the state was awarded $939,000 in annual funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the next five years to increase prescription drug monitoring programs, prescribing practices and prevention at the state and community level.

According to CDC, a large majority of prescription opioid overdoses happen to non-Hispanic whites and, in 2013, drug overdoses caused more deaths than motor vehicle crashes among people 25 to 64 years old.

Davenport said in the drug unit’s diversion investigations, age doesn’t seem to matter.

“The public needs to recognize you can’t always look at a person and know they’re a drug dealer. In the past year, we’ve arrested a lot of older people,” Davenport said. “Anyone from 14 years old to 65 years old — they’re selling prescription pills.”