The Effingham County Sheriff’s Office recovered four methamphetamine labs and arrested eight people on meth charges over a 10-day span ending Wednesday.

The ECSO Drug Suppression Unit recovered the labs as well as methamphetamine, pseudoephedrine and other items used to manufacture meth.

The labs were found “mostly in the Springfield and Guyton areas” and were in “close proximity” to each other, according to ECSO spokesman Detective David Ehsanipoor.

The 10-day operation stemmed from a long-term investigation in which investigators targeted people who have been illegally purchasing pseudoephedrine and providing it to the meth cooks, Ehsanipoor said.

“Unfortunately, methamphetamine, along with other drugs, is in every community, but we will not stick out heads in the sand and pretend it does not exist,” he said.

Arrested on meth-related charges were:

Chad Edwards Barrs, 40, of Springfield

Leslie Miles Ellis, 53, of Springfield

Christopher Brian Mosely, 37, of Guyton

Wesley Earl Lanier, 34, of Springfield

Jessica Anne Lanier, 37, of Springfield

Melissa Kay Edwards, 42, of Springfield

Dan Allen Edwards, 45, of Springfield

Tracy Jean Lively, 43, of Springfield.

Barrs and Mosely are repeat offenders, having previously been arrested for manufacturing meth, Ehsanipoor said.

“Over the past year, Effingham County has seen a significant decrease in meth labs in the county,” Ehsanipoor said. “We credit this to stricter laws prohibiting those who purchase excessive amounts of pseudoephedrine, the community’s involvement and the Sheriff’s Office’s proactive stance on eradicating dangerous drugs from our community.”