A Vicksburg man accused of a possessing two pounds of methamphetamine stashed inside a teddy bear was free on bail Thursday while his accused accomplice was still behind bars.

Nicholas Ringold, 33, 105 Elm Lane, and Ronald Vaughn, 35 1314 Nutter Drive, Picayune, were arrested Tuesday in a raid by Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics agents and Vicksburg Police.

Both were charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.

Ringold and Vaughn appeared in Warren County Justice Court Wednesday where Judge Jeff Crevitt denied bail for Vaughn and set bail at $100,000 for Ringold.

Their arrest came after a month long investigation by MBN, said Delores Lewis, the spokeswoman for the agency.

During the bust, agents discovered a white teddy bear holding a red heart with the phrase “Te Amo” — Spanish for I love you — with a package of meth stashed inside.

Evidence photos show the large ball of methamphetamine in “ice” form wrapped in green plastic being removed from the back of the toy bear.

“Ice” is a pure crystalline form of methamphetamine that is commonly produced in labs in Mexico. It resembles shards of glass or ice.

The bear had been shipped from Coachella, Calif., to Vicksburg, MBN Director Sam Owens said.

The drugs stashed inside the teddy bear have an estimated street value of $100,000, Owens said. In addition to the drugs, agents seized more than $3,000 in cash.

The arrest came after a tip received by Richland Police Department in Rankin County that said the two men might be trafficking meth from California to Mississippi.

Ringold posted bail and was released from the Warren County Jail. Vaughn’s bail was denied pending the outcome of a probation hearing, Lewis said.

The Mississippi Department of Corrections probation retainer had not been received at the Warren County Jail Wednesday afternoon.

In 2006, Vaughn was sentenced to 15 years in prison for aggravated driving under the influence of a controlled substance after running over a Warren County deputy. It was unclear when Vaughn was released from prison.

On Feb. 9, 2004, Vaughn ran over Deputy Mike Hollingsworth who was directing traffic on U.S. 80 in front of Green Acres Memorial Park. The crash left the deputy with what his doctor described at trial as “a serious brain injury.”

Hollingsworth returned to duty seven months later, and retired from the department in 2011.

Vaughn had previously been convicted of drive-by shooting. He was sentenced in 1999, served one year of a three-year sentence and was on probation when Hollingsworth was injured.

Ringold is also a convicted felon, according to court records. He was convicted of felony possession of marijuana in 2006 and being a felon in possession of a firearm in 2008.