Gary Maxwell Lee, Marijuana Cultivation, North Carolina 2024

A Henderson County man has been sentenced to 54 months in prison for operating a large-scale marijuana grow operation in his backyard.

Gary Maxwell Lee, 48, of Hendersonville, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger and will remain under court supervision for three years after his release from prison.

According to court documents, law enforcement began investigating Lee in May 2015 after receiving information that he was operating an extensive indoor marijuana growing operation from two structures located next to his main home.

Court records show that Lee ran the operation from the two structures, setting up extensive lighting, air filtration, and hydration systems to assist in the growth of the plants. He also took steps to avoid detection by law enforcement, including taking his trash to the dump or burning it and using carbon filters to cut down on the odor emanating from the grow.

Lee’s operation was seized by law enforcement, who found 66 marijuana plants, 10.4 pounds of marijuana in various stages of drying and processing, and $4,245 in cash. They also seized numerous firearms, including shotguns and semi-automatic rifles, as well as twelve ammo cans containing thousands of rounds of ammunition.

Lee had a previous conviction in Florida related to the manufacture of marijuana and pleaded guilty in December 2015 to manufacturing marijuana and being a felon in possession of firearms.

DEA, SBI, and the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case, with Assistant United States Attorney Thomas Kent handling the prosecution.

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