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Six people arrested in 600-pound pot bust
By JAMIE JONES
© St. Petersburg Times, SPRING HILL -- Carolyn Maye, a 43-year-old with auburn eyes and brown hair, called her home on Augustine Road and told her two sons to "get ready." She drove her white Chevrolet Blazer to an industrial park in Pasco County, pulled into a building under construction and popped her trunk. About 4:15 p.m. Thursday, a semitrailer truck arriving from California backed in beside her. According to the Sheriff's Office, May stood for about an hour in a parking lot wearing shorts and a dark T-shirt as her husband, a friend and the truck driver loaded 13 cardboard boxes into her car. They were filled with clear, vacuum-sealed bags that held about 600 pounds of marijuana. Maye put at least $86,000 in a cardboard box for the truck driver, which he placed in his cab. About 5:30 p.m., Maye pulled out of the park on Titus Road, in the Shady Hills area, with boxes stuffed in every corner of the car, deputies said. She called her son and said she was coming home "bogged down." It was a ritual the Maye family performed every couple of weeks, according to law enforcement authorities, as they picked up varying amounts of marijuana at different locations and distributed the pot to smaller suppliers in Hernando County and other areas of the North Suncoast. The Hernando County Sheriff's Office said it disrupted their routine Thursday after an eight-month investigation into drug trafficking that involved confidential informers, surveillance, a trip to California, wiretaps and the help of residents who had become frustrated by drug activity around the Maye home at 3444 Augustine Road. By midnight, deputies had arrested six people -- Carolyn, James, Jimmy Jr. and Jeffrey Maye; truck driver Michael Agustus Davy of California, and Eric Todd Griffin of the Shady Hills area. Deputies also seized seven cars, the semitrailer truck and three handguns. The Sheriff's Office estimates that the marijuana had a street value of about $750,000. Sheriff Richard Nugent said the bust was the agency's largest in about 20 years. "I hope this sends the message that we have the resources, desire, will and talent to do this type of investigation," Nugent said as he stood near the dozens of bags of marijuana and $100 bills displayed around a long table during a news conference Friday morning. "We will continue doing this." Nugent said putting the Maye family out of business should significantly shrink the marijuana supply in Hernando County. All four have prior drug charges. Nugent would not comment on whether the Sheriff's Office is investigating the Mayes' suppliers or smaller dealers who work with them. "The investigation continues, that's all I can say," Nugent said. Nugent said the Maye family had "terrorized" their Spring Hill neighborhood, including two deputies who live nearby. The Mayes cursed at neighbors and squealed their tires while pulling out of their driveway, he said. Additionally, the Mayes were running an auto repair shop out of their home, which frustrated neighbors, he said. The Mayes have filled out repeated complaints about sheriff's deputies, Nugent said, and have requested vast amounts of public records from the department, such as work schedules for deputies and copies of incident reports. Deputies began investigating the Mayes in February after hearing repeated complaints from neighbors. The office put two detectives on the case full time in May. Through wiretaps, Hernando detectives learned that the Mayes were expecting a big shipment Thursday. Detectives got ready for the bust and set up surveillance on Titus Street, where the exchange was to occur. Deputies took photographs of James Maye, Davy and Griffin, wearing handkerchiefs on their heads, jeans and tank tops, as they unloaded the boxes. Deputies were aided by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pasco County Sheriff's Office. Authorities arrested the three men at the industrial site in Pasco. They followed Mrs. Maye back to her home and arrested her there, along with her two sons. "She was very, very surprised," said Lt. Marc Rivenbark. Detectives continued searching the Maye home Friday and found marijuana stashed in several rooms, as well as cocaine, eight marijuana smoking pipes, three bongs and a pack of rolling papers. The Sheriff's Office said it arrested Carolyn and James Maye in 1992 on charges of drug trafficking and possession of marijuana and narcotic equipment. Mrs. Maye also was convicted of insurance fraud, larceny and making a false report in 1992. Their sons have been charged previously with possession or distribution of drugs. Nugent said deputies are investigating the truck driver, Davy. They said he was legitimately delivering computer parts along with the marijuana. Nugent said they tracked his truck from California. He owned the truck, which was confiscated by the Sheriff's Office, Nugent said. The sheriff said he believes Davy had been working with the Maye family for some time. He said authorities are still working to determine the origin of the marijuana. The bust came two days after authorities found 65 pounds of marijuana in a Piper Arrow plane in Crystal River. Thursday's bust appears to be one of the largest in recent Hernando County history. The last big marijuana bust came in 1994, when the Florida Department of Law Enforcement seized 1,300 pounds of marijuana, hidden in onion bags and tomato crates in the beds of two pickup trucks, near State Road 50 and Interstate 75 in eastern Hernando County. Four men were jailed on trafficking charges. Those arrested Thursday included: Carolyn Ann Maye, who was charged with trafficking in marijuana over 100 pounds and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. She was being held in lieu of a $20,000 bail Friday at the Hernando County Jail. Her husband, James Michael Maye, 45, was charged with principal to trafficking marijuana and possession of methamphetamine. He was being held in Pasco County in lieu of $51,000 bail. Their son, Jeffrey Matthew Maye, 20, was charged with possession of marijuana, possession of cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was released on his own recognizance Friday afternoon by Hernando County Judge Peyton Hyslop. They all reside at 3444 Augustine Road. Another son, 23-year-old James "Jimmy" Maye Jr. of Orlando, was charged with trafficking. He was being held in lieu of $15,000 bail at the Hernando County Jail. The truck driver, Michael Agustus Davy, 42, of Canyon Country, Calif., was charged with trafficking in marijuana. He was being held in Pasco in lieu of $50,000 bail. Eric Todd Griffin, 37, of Spring Hill was charged with trafficking and was being held in Pasco in lieu of $5,000 bail. According to Florida law, anyone found guilty of trafficking more than 25 pounds of marijuana must serve at least three years in prison. -- Information from Times files was used in this report. Staff writer Jamie Jones covers law enforcement and courts in Hernando County and can be reached at 745-6114.
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