AKRON, Ohio -- State Highway Patrol troopers recently seized more than half a pound of methamphetamine during a traffic stop in Akron, the State Highway Patrol said Tuesday in a news release.

Jaelin Whitman, 22, of New Philadelphia and Gregory Swiney, 25, of Dover have been charged with first-degree felonies of possession of methamphetamine and trafficking in drugs, according to Summit County Court of Common Pleas records.

On Nov. 7, troopers stopped a 2005 Chevrolet Impala for having a defective exhaust on South Arlington Street on Akron’s East Side, the State Highway Patrol said.

As they approached the vehicle, troopers noticed possible “criminal indicators,” and Whitman, the driver, admitted to having a meth pipe in the car, according to troopers. Troopers searched the suspects and the vehicle and found 288 grams, or about .6 pounds, of methamphetamine.

If convicted, Whitman and Swiney could face up to 22 years in prison and a $40,000 fine, the State Highway Patrol said.

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