Two Beaufort County women and another from Virginia were charge with heroin possession this week.

Heather Freelove Sawyer, 32, of Camp Leach Road in Washington, Sarah Pinkham, 35, of Ephesus Church Road in Blounts Creek and Tina Marie Bernal, 32, of Jericho Road in Ruther Glen, Virginia, were charged with possession of heroin and possession of drug paraphernalia on Sunday.

According to Lt. Russell Davenport with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Drug Unit, investigators were given information that the women had traveled to Greenville to purchase heroin.

“They were on their way back,” Davenport said. “We waited for them to get into the county to stop them.”

Sawyer was driving the vehicle, while Pinkham and Bernal were passengers. Also along for the ride was Sawyer’s 1 1/2-year-old child. According to the drug unit press release, investigators found a small amount of heroin and two snorting straws in the common area of the vehicle and a used syringe was found hidden in the child’s car seat.

Davenport said it’s not the first time investigators have run across Sawyer and Pinkham.

“We have seen them at several heroin distribution locations in our area. We’re familiar with them,” Davenport said.

Davenport said heroin remains one of the top abused drugs in the county, along with other opioids and meth, and the drug unit is ending the year with a slew of arrests.

“We’ve been wrapping up some cases right here at the end of the year,” he said.