A 46-year-old Dawson County man pleaded guilty last week to trafficking methamphetamine.

In a negotiated plea, Daniel Jeffery Thompson received a 22-year sentence with the first 12 years to be served in prison and the remainder on probation.

Senior Superior Court Judge John Girardeau also ordered him to pay $325,225 in fines and fees.

Thompson's arrest was the result of a joint investigation by the sheriff's offices in Dawson and Lumpkin counties, as well as the Appalachian Drug Task Force.

He was arrested Feb. 2 following a search of his home on Old Henry Grady Road, during which authorities said they recovered about 3 ounces of methamphetamine.

Lumpkin County Sheriff's deputies had apprehended him minutes earlier during a traffic stop.

He also pleaded guilty to distributing meth and using a communication device to facilitate the sale.

At the time of his arrest, Dawson County investigators had been watching him for more than two years.

Northeastern Judicial Circuit District Attorney Lee Darragh called the successful prosecution "a fine effort by law enforcement officials."

"It's always gratifying to see another mid-level drug dealer taken off the streets," he said.

Dawson County drug agents have made several trafficking arrests in recent weeks, including two on Saturday, according to jail records.

James Jimmy Baker, 47, of Pendergrass and Michael Joseph Leblanc, 33, of Gainesville were each charged with trafficking methamphetamine.

Both are being held without bond pending hearings in Superior Court.