A traffic stop Wednesday on Carbonton Road, near the Chatham County line, resulted in the discovery of a methamphetamine lab in Moore County and the arrest of two individuals.

It was the first time a meth lab had been discovered in Moore County, according to a press release.

Arrested were Christopher Ashley Morris, 36, of 1050 Haw Branch Road, Sanford, and Jeffrey Allen Wicker, 46, of 4114 Kivett Farm Road, Staley, by officers of the Moore County Sheriff's Office.

The incident started when a Moore County Sheriff's deputy assigned to the select enforcement unit stopped a motor vehicle on Carbonton Road, leading to a search of the vehicle. During the search, officers located and seized approximately five grams of methamphetamine, a .45 caliber handgun, coffee filters with suspected methamphetamine residue, an unknown liquid substance and $160.

Officers from the Moore County Sheriff's Office narcotics unit then went to Morris' residence where another search was conducted. During that search, officers located and seized residual amounts of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and six additional firearms. In a search of a wooded area near the residence, officers determined that methamphetamine had been recently manufactured in the area. Chemicals found in the area were destroyed.

The arrests concluded a three-month investigation conducted by officers of the narcotics and select enforcement units. The Drug Enforcement Administration assisted with cleaning up and destroying the lab.

Morris was charged with felony manufacturing methamphetamine, felony possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver methamphetamine, two counts of felony possession of methamphetamine, two counts of felony maintaining a place to keep methamphetamine and two counts of misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

Morris was also charged with a warrant for arrest from Chatham County for exceeding the pseudoephedrine limits. This charge was part of new legislation passed that prohibits a person from purchasing more than two packages of certain products containing pseudoephedrine, (3.6 grams per day), and more than three packages, (9 grams total), within a 30-day period. He was jailed and his bail was set at $32,000.

Wicker was charged with felony possession with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver methamphetamine, felony possession of methamphetamine and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. He was jailed and his bail set at $7,500.