PORTSMOUTH -- A Haverhill man has been arrested and charged with three counts of first-degree felony possession of drugs.

Bryan K. Layne, 26, of Gallia Pike, Haverhill, was arrested early last Saturday morning and charged with three counts of possession of schedule 2 narcotics, over 50 times the bulk amount. According

to Scioto County Sheriff Marty V. Donini, Layne had in his possession more than 12,200 tablets of various narcotics, including 4,300 tablets of OcyContin.

Layne's arrest came after the sheriff's office received information concerning the theft of a large amount of narcotics from a delivery truck in Ashland, Ky. According to reports, Prestige Delivery Systems of Ashland, Ky., filed a report with the Scioto County Sheriff's Office last Friday evening after it was discovered that a large amount of narcotics was missing from a shipment from Columbus.

Upon investigation, the sheriff's office discovered Prestige had sub-contracted the delivery from Columbus to Ashland to Layne, a truck driver. Deputies discovered that Layne had allegedly stopped at his residence in Haverhill and removed the drugs believed to be

from the shipment. In addition to the OxyContin, deputies found 3,400 tablets of Endocet, 1,500 tablets of Percocet, 700 tablets of OxyCodone, 600 tablets of Hyromorphone, 200 tablets of MS Contin and 200 tablets of Morphine. Donini said the street value of the drugs is estimated in excess of $168,000.

"This is undoubtedly the largest recovery of pharmaceutical drugs this agency has ever participated in," he said. "The success of this investigation has prevented the circulation of over 12,000 tablets of illegal narcotics from reaching the hands of addicts and dealers in our community."

Layne was arraigned in Portsmouth Municipal court on Tuesday on a charge of receiving stolen property, a fourth-degree felony. He was arraigned on the drug charges Wednesday. He is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing at 11 a.m. today in Portsmouth Municipal Court. He remains incarcerated in the Scioto County Jail on a $60,000 cash assurity bond.