CHICORA — A Center Township couple’s plan to have 10 pounds of marijuana mailed across the country to a nearby friend went up in smoke and landed them in court.

Eric T. Negri, 31, and Kristen Negri, 33, are headed for trial on felony drug charges after waiving their preliminary hearings Tuesday at the office of District Judge Lewis Stoughton.

The Negris’ case dates back to around Thanksgiving 2013, when postal inspectors became suspicious about a package, shipped from California and received in Butler County two days before the holiday.

State police drug interdiction officers were notified and soon caught on to the suspects’ alleged half-baked plan.

The investigating trooper would not say what provoked the suspicion about the package addressed to a home on Route 38 in Oakland Township.

“There are indicators for the package’s condition and label that we look for,” the trooper said following Tuesday’s court proceedings.

Once the red flag rose, the officer said, a drug-sniffing dog was called in and “alerted” on the parcel, which originated from Sacramento.

Because the U.S. Mail falls under federal jurisdiction, a federal search warrant was required. Once the warrant was secured, the package was opened.

The contents, 10 pounds of pot, were confirmed. The suspected marijuana had an estimated street value of $3,000 to $5,000 per pound

The package was subsequently resealed for a controlled delivery, with police conducting surveillance.

But before that, the trooper said, police obtained an “anticipatory” search warrant, which is standard procedure in cases involving drugs or other contraband sent by mail.

The anticipatory warrant is based on probable cause that a crime will occur in the future. In the Negris’ case, that suspected criminal activity was acceptance of the pot-laden package to the address on the shipping label.

The trooper would only identify the addressee as a friend — at least at the time — of the defendants.

In exchange for receiving the parcel, the officer said, the recipient “was to get money” from the Negris.

Once the controlled delivery was made, the anticipatory search warrant was served to the addressee at his house. The recipient identified Eric Negri “as arranging for the parcel to be delivered,” according to court documents.

The recipient, who was not charged, would eventually assist in the investigation.

Following the controlled drug delivery at the Negris’ home on Spring Run Road, police swooped in. Kristen Negri was home; Eric was not.

Authorities this time did not need a court-issued search warrant.

“She gave her consent,” the trooper said.

Inside the house, officers seized a pound of marijuana and other contraband, including a grinder and smoking pipes, court documents said.

Additionally, the search turned up $1,400 in currency and “owe sheets,” the trooper said, which are commonly used to record drug transactions.

The Negris made no statements to police, according to the investigating officer.

The defendants’ attorneys Tuesday also were tight-lipped about the allegations after their clients waived felony and misdemeanor drug possession charges to court. The suspects are both free on $100,000 unsecured bail.

Eric Negri’s attorney, Randall Ricciuti of Pittsburgh, declined to comment. Kristen Negri’s attorney, Duke George Jr. of New Kensington, would not say much more.