SUMNER COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — Members of the 18th Judicial District Drug Task Force stopped a New York man in Sumner County Thursday morning and ended up finding a suitcase full of marijuana.
The incident happened on Interstate 65 near White House on Thursday, Dec. 19. Authorities said the driver, 40-year-old William Pulgiano, was tailgating multiple vehicles, which led to a traffic stop.
“When I made contact with him, his hands were shaking,” a drug agent recalled, adding that he could smell the pungent scent of marijuana as he talked with Pulgiano.
The agent ran his K9, Emma, around the SUV. The drug dog immediately got a hit on the vehicle.
The agent secured the New York man in handcuffs before looking in the back of the car and finding a suitcase that contained 20 individually sealed packages of high-grade marijuana.
“I haven’t opened any of these, but these look to be at least double vacuum-sealed, if not tripled, which is very common,” the agent told News 2 while showing off the packages.
The agent said the suspect claimed he purchased the drugs for $800 a pound. The combined street value is reportedly about $175,000.
“I think he’s potentially a smuggler or a courier of his own product, and later found out that he has a marijuana business or had a marijuana business in California,” the agent said.
Authorities said the 40-year-old was not armed, which is unusual because a valuable shipment like this is often associated with violence.
“Because it’s not regulated everywhere, and banks don’t take your money from marijuana sales, even dispensaries,” the agent explained. “You have more violent crimes in areas where marijuana is legal, so you have more robberies; more kidnappings; more thefts; more burglaries to residences, vehicles, businesses, so the violent crime rate actually goes up because of legalization of marijuana.”
Officials confirmed that Pulgiano was arrested in 2009 by New York undercover officers who observed him placing stolen weapons in his trunk. When he was taken into custody, Pulgiano reportedly had cocaine individually packaged for sale.
“I initially asked him about his criminal history. He said he had a history of a firearm arrest. I asked him specifically about narcotics. He said no,” the agent recalled. “Turns out he is on bond for the same type of charges that we were dealing with on this state.”
Pulgiano is being held in the Sumner County Jail on a $200,000 bond, charged with possession of drugs with intent to sell and deliver, possession of drug paraphernalia, and following too closely. He is due in court on Jan. 13, 2025.
Law enforcement told News 2 the suspect is currently facing similar drug charges out of Pennsylvania.
