Greenville police arrested and charged three Greenville residents during a drug raid Thursday afternoon at the residence of 133 E. World St.

When police arrived, members of the drug enforcement unit and the special response team detained five people outside of the house and eight more inside the house.

It was a few more people than narcotics investigator Kenneth Parker expected.

&#8220We expected a few people in the house, but I sure didn't expect to see eight people in the house,” Parker said.

Fellow narcotics investigator Lane Strickland said he believed that the reason for so many people being at the house was that some of the suspected dealers were expecting a shipment to arrive.

Arrested in the raid were Lionel Johnson, 27, for possession of marijuana first-degree and Alford Oliver, 32, and Nikki Paterson, 33, on one count of possession of marijuana second-degree each.

&#8220Drug enforcement is our No. 1 priority this year,” Greenville Police Chief Lonzo Ingram stressed. &#8220Drugs and drug-related crimes are detrimental to these neighborhoods and the city as a whole, so that's why we are working so hard on this.”

While there were 13 people detained in and around the residence, police confiscated about $15 worth of marijuana and an undetermined number of rocks of suspected crack cocaine.

While police raided the house, a state police helicopter circled the neighborhood for assistance and surveillance.

&#8220We have been watching the house for the past month and a half or two months,” Strickland said. &#8220It appeared to be a seller and user's house. We made an undercover buy and then got the search warrant.”

Strickland said that further charges and arrests could be made.