Gastonia man sentenced to federal prison on drug charges
A Gastonia man was sentenced to 4½ years in prison after being convicted in federal court of trafficking marijuana and methamphetamine.
Paul Mark James, 52, and Da Lee, 38, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, were accused of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine in and around Catawba County. Da was sentenced to 14 years in prison in the case.
According to documents filed in this case and evidence introduced at Lee’s trial, from 2018 to 2020, Lee and James conspired to distribute methamphetamine in and around Catawba County. Court records show that while law enforcement investigators were investigating James’s drug distribution activities in Hickory, they determined that James frequently traveled out of state to purchase methamphetamine from his supplier in Georgia, later identified as Lee.
On July 12, 2020, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of James’s vehicle upon his return from a trip to Georgia. During the traffic stop, law enforcement found methamphetamine and marijuana in James’s vehicle, which Lee had provided to James.
Court records show that the next day, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Lee’s Georgia residence, from which they seized a firearm, 4 pounds of marijuana, and more than $7,900 in cash. According to court records, over the course of the conspiracy, Lee supplied James with more than two pounds of methamphetamine.
On Feb. 23, 2022, a federal jury convicted Lee of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and marijuana, and distribution of methamphetamine. Also in February 2022, James pleaded guilty to the same charges.
You can reach Kevin Ellis at 704-201-7016 or email him at kellis@gastongazette.com.
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Gastonia man sentenced to federal prison on drug charges
