Three men are each facing a charge of unlawful possession of marijuana 1st degree after members of the Selma Police Department Narcotics Division caught them in the midst of a drug deal Thursday.

Lt. Curtis Muhannad, with the Selma Police Department, said Selma resident Willie Johnson, 53, and Jones residents Jeffrey Bethel, 27, and Michael Hardy Jr., 19, were each charged with unlawful possession of marijuana 1st degree and placed in the Dallas County Jail, each with a $15,000 bond.

Muhannad said at around 3 p.m. Thursday, officers with the narcotics division were patrolling the 1900 block of Keller Avenue in Selma, when they spotted an unknown black male leaning into a parked van.

Before the officers could speak with the man, he fled the scene after spotting the patrol police car, Muhannad said.

At that point, officers approached the van and spoke with Johnson, Bethel and Hardy Jr., who were all inside the vehicle.

While speaking with the three men, an officer noticed a large, clear plastic bag lying in plain view on the floorboard behind the front passenger’s seat.

Muhannad said the three men were removed from the vehicle and the bag was found to contain 21 smaller bags with marijuana packaged to be sold.

Muhannad said the men were arrested at that time, and after being interviewed by police officers, were booked and transported to the Dallas County Jail.

The man who was seen leaning into the van has not been identified or apprehend at this time.

Unlawful possession of marijuana 1st degree is a Class C Felony in Alabama.