A convicted felon was arrested on several drug and weapons charges early Thursday morning after Effingham County Sheriff’s Office investigators searched his vehicle and home.

Andy Morris, 32, of Guyton was charged with trafficking methamphetamine, manufacturing methamphetamine, possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of tools for the commission of a crime.

The ECSO had a search warrant for Morris’ house and also had information that he was carrying drugs in his sport utility vehicle, according to spokesman Detective David Ehsanipoor. The investigators opted to make a traffic stop rather than try to apprehend Morris at his house.

“It was a safety issue,” Ehsanipoor said. “Rather than have him at the house where we knew he had firearms, we could control the stop.”

Investigators pulled over Morris’ Chevrolet Trailblazer shortly after midnight on Highway 119 near Highway 17 in Guyton. Morris, who had previously served time in prison for manufacturing meth, was found in possession of several boxes of pseudoephedrine, a bag of methamphetamine and items used to manufacture meth.

Shortly after the traffic stop, investigators executed the search warrant at Morris’ home on Riverside Drive. They found three methamphetamine labs, a “substantial amount” of methamphetamine, several products used to manufacture the drug, a shotgun and ammunition, Ehsanipoor said.

“He even had a gas mask, which we believe he used to protect himself while he made meth,” Ehsanipoor said.

Morris’ arrest resulted from a three-month operation by the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office Drug Suppression Team. Investigators believe Morris “has been one of the key people who have been manufacturing meth and distributing it around Guyton as well as other parts of the county,” Ehsanipoor said.

Morris is being held in the Effingham County Jail.

“He’s a repeat offender, he’s a convicted felon, he keeps making methamphetamine, and now he’s back in jail,” Ehsanipoor said.