Fugitives Caught with Drugs
On January 9, 2014, at approximately 2:00 P.M., the Kingsport Police Department’s Directed Patrol Unit descended on Model City Apartments, 1000 Stonegate Road, Kingsport, Tennessee, targeting two South Carolina fugitives: Jeffrey Lawrence Brousseau and William Joseph Cantey. Wanted for Violation of Parole—Brousseau for Armed Robbery and Cantey for Burglary—the pair was located in the backseat of a silver Ford Escort. A search revealed Brousseau in possession of over 2.5 ounces of marijuana, a digital scale, a pill crusher, $103 in cash, and a cell phone, all linked to drug transactions.
A subsequent search of an associated apartment unit uncovered additional paraphernalia: drug pipes, blunt wrappers, baggies, and a safe containing more items, all claimed by Brousseau. He was charged with Fugitive From Justice, Felony Possession of a Schedule VI Drug for Resale, and Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Cantey faced a Fugitive From Justice charge. Both were transported to Kingsport City Jail to await extradition to South Carolina, compounding their legal troubles with fresh felony drug offenses in Tennessee.
I-81: A Drug Trafficking Artery in East Tennessee
The arrest of Brousseau and Cantey underscores Kingsport’s position along Interstate 81, a critical corridor for interstate drug trafficking through East Tennessee. Stretching 855 miles from Dandridge, Tennessee, to the Canadian border, I-81’s 75-mile stretch through Sullivan County links rural Appalachia to urban hubs like Bristol, Virginia, and beyond. In 2014, law enforcement identified it as a pipeline for marijuana, methamphetamine, and prescription drugs moving north from southern states like South Carolina, where Brousseau and Cantey originated, into Virginia and the Northeast.
Kingsport, near I-81’s junction with I-26, is a strategic stopover. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) and DEA have long flagged this corridor as a hotspot: marijuana sourced from the South or Southwest, meth precursors from pharmacies along the route, and pills diverted from Appalachia’s opioid epidemic flow freely. In 2013, Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office seized over 1,200 pounds of marijuana in traffic stops alone, many linked to I-81 travelers. A 2014 Bristol bust nabbed 50 pounds of meth off the interstate, while your prior Kingsport cases—like the 50-pound marijuana plot by Mims and Hirst—show how I-81 facilitates bulk movement.
Fugitives like Brousseau and Cantey exploit this artery, blending into transient traffic. Their haul—2.5 ounces of marijuana—pales beside larger seizures, but the paraphernalia (scales, baggies) suggests intent to distribute locally or further north. Police tactics, like K.P.D.’s Directed Patrol, target such hubs—apartment complexes off I-81 exits are notorious for stash houses. The corridor’s rural stretches hinder enforcement, yet its connectivity to I-26 and I-52 amplifies its role, drawing South Carolina’s drug runners to Kingsport’s doorstep, often with warrants in tow.
Source: Kingsport Police Department, January 9, 2014.
