Man Serving Time For Murder Sentenced To Life In Prison For Drug Operation

On Monday, a federal judge in Greeneville sentenced a longtime inmate with the Tennessee Department of Corrections to life in prison his role in distributing drugs and money laundering. Back in March of this year, 44 year old Charles Elsea, Jr. was found guilty of Conspiracy to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Actual Methamphetamine; Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana, and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering. According to court documents presented at trial, Elsea was serving a prison sentence for First Degree Murder for a 1996 homicide in Hamilton County, Tennessee when he rose through the ranks to become the State President of the Brotherhood Forever, that’s a Tennessee based prison gang. Elsea led the drug trafficking organization from behind prison walls using smuggled cellphones to conduct his business on the outside. Elsea orchestrated multi-kilo methamphetamine deals that involved meth being transported from California and Arizona to Tennessee. Elsea and his coconspirators then used the drug proceeds from the methamphetamine sales to create marijuana grow houses in and out of Tennessee. Elsea was also involved in marijuana grow operations utilizing the jail’s video system to speak to coconspirators about the cultivation of marijuana. Elsea was also ordered to forfeit over $1.2 million which represented the illegal proceeds from distributing methamphetamine and money laundering.