Two local men face up to life in prison after police say they were found to have been trafficking about four pounds of methamphetamine and possessed over 4,000 fentanyl pills in East Idaho recently.

Levi Jerome McGraw, 31, American Falls and Derek Matthew Ross, 40, of Pocatello, have both been charged with felonies for trafficking meth and possession of a controlled substance, fentanyl, with the intent to deliver following a traffic stop on Interstate 15 just south of Inkom on Sunday, according to police and court records.

The incident began when the Pocatello Police Department on Friday obtained a warrant to search a 2021 Toyota 4Runner with North Dakota license plates, police said.

Bannock County Sheriff’s Office deputies initiated a traffic stop on the Toyota 4Runner on Sunday and identified McGraw as the driver and Ross as a passenger in the vehicle, according to police reports.

Following the search warrant, officers recovered approximately four pounds of meth and 4,000 “dirty 30” pills that police identified from experience as likely containing fentanyl, police said.

Both McGraw and Ross were charged with the two felonies, arrested and booked into the Bannock County Jail in Pocatello.

Both McGraw and Ross appeared in front of 6th District Judge Lynn Brower for arraignment hearings on Monday, during which their bond’s were each set at $200,000.

Both McGraw and Ross are due back in court on March 29 for preliminary hearings in which prosecutors will attempt to prove there is enough evidence against them to elevate their cases from the magistrate to district court level for trial.

Felony meth trafficking charges in Idaho carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison if a person is convicted and a maximum penalty of up to life in prison. The charge also carries a minimum fine of $25,000 and a maximum fine of up to $100,000.

The felony possession of a controlled substance, fentanyl, with the intent to deliver charge carries a maximum penalty of up to life in prison and a fine of up to $25,000.

Additionally, prosecutors for both McGraw and Ross have filed notice with the courts that both men have previously been convicted of felony drug possession charges, which could double any prison term levied against either of them. That means both men face a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison if convicted of the felony meth trafficking charges.