Selling — or attempting to sell — faux drugs is just as serious as selling the real thing.

The practice also can be dangerous for the seller.

Thomas County/Thomasville Narcotics/Vice Division agents traveled to Meigs Wednesday and, assisted by Meigs police, set up surveillance at a business where a drug deal was to take place.

Officers were on the lookout for an older model blue-and-white Ford LTD that eventually arrived at the convenience store. Agents were hidden at the business. Police were hidden nearby.

“The suspects parked in the store parking lot. They raised the hood like they were having car trouble,” said Kevin Lee, narcotics/vice commander.

Occupants of the car, Jontavian Blount, 30, 308 Westover Ave., Thomasville, and Lamar D. Edwards, 29, 1122 Calvary Road, Cairo, were secured.

Inside a black sock found in the Ford’s engine compartment, officers found a sandwich bag containing 1.5 ounces of large pieces of a substance that resembled crack cocaine.

The substance, however, was not crack cocaine.

“It did not have the feel of crack cocaine, did not test positive for crack cocaine, and they admitted it was not crack cocaine,” the commander said.

Blount and Edwards are charged with possession of a non-controlled substance represented as a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

“It’s a felony,” Lee said.

The suspects also were charged with possession of a non-controlled substance represented as a controlled substance with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a housing project, a felony.

The substance, had it been crack cocaine, would have been worth $1,200 to $1,500.

Lee said it could have been an extremely dangerous situation had the suspects been paid for what was believed to be crack cocaine, and it turned out to be a fake.

“It is a dangerous situation any time a drug deal goes down, but particularly when the ‘drug’ is fake,” Lee said.

“That is definitely a drug deal gone bad,” he added. “It’s going to be a bad situation.”

Bond was set at $1,500 each for Blount and Edwards. Blount was released on bond. Edwards remained in the Thomas County Jail in lieu of bond late Friday afternoon.