Federal authorities charged 34 people, including five north country residents, over their alleged roles in an international marijuana smuggling operation that moved about 22,000 pounds of pot through the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation.
A three-year investigation exposed a pipeline bringing millions of dollars' worth of marijuana into the U.S. and distributing it to several cities, including Boston and Atlanta, the U.S. attorney's office said Tuesday. The ringleader of the operation allegedly was Cornwall, Ontario, resident Mickey Woods, who goes by the nicknames "Big Boss Man" and "Big Buddy."
"This investigation shines a spotlight on the enormous profits reaped by drug dealers from the cultivation, smuggling and sale of marijuana," said John P. Gilbride, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration special agent in charge. "From Northern New York to as far south as Atlanta, Georgia, this trafficking organization distributed Canadian marijuana, generating approximately $45 million of narco-dollars along the way."
Mark Smoke, 37, and Aonwentsiio "Doggie" Sunday, 30, of Hogansburg, James Moran, 44, Massena, and Winthrop residents Mitchell Printup, 31, and David Hartley, 46, were indicted Tuesday on charges of conspiracies to distribute and possess more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana.
Twenty-three Canadians and people living in Boston, Miami, Montgomery, Ala., and Onondaga face similar charges. If convicted, each person could face a 10- to 40-year prison term and up to $4 million in fines.
Mr. Woods, 38, and Gaetan "Gates" Dinelle, 35, Cornwall, also were charged with leading a continuing criminal enterprise. If convicted, they each face a mandatory term of life in prison.
The indictment also seeks the forfeiture of $45 million from illegal drug proceeds. Nine people have been picked up, with Mr. Woods and Mr. Dinelle still at large.
Authorities seized about 400 kilograms of marijuana and more than $2 million in cash during the investigation. More arrests are expected.
Several agencies participated in the investigation, including DEA, Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, state police, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police and district attorneys' offices in Franklin and St. Lawrence counties.
