Mohawk Reservation Drug Smuggling A Booming Business

Much of the primo, hydroponically-grown herb you'll find in New York comes from Canada, where an untold quantity passes across the border at the Akwesasne Mohawk reservation, which stretches five miles along the banks of the St. Lawrence River. Naturally, the authorities would like to pull the plug on this source, so six weeks ago Joseph Resnick, the head of the NYPD's narcotics division, took a trip up there to see what could be done. The good news for tokers is that the Mohawk smugglers have this down to a science, and Resnik is "astounded at how lenient the border is."

The Post also visited the river border recently, and came back with an informative article about the multi-million dollar drug smuggling operation there. They even photographed an unmarked speedboat "in which two of the boaters had their faces covered, zoomed past. One looked around nervously, and the other stared at a Post photographer as he took his picture." James Burns, a DEA special agent, tells the tabloid, "You see these boats race across the river all the time; they run everything. Those fellows were probably nervous because they saw you with a camera."

Though there have been some high-profile busts, the article highlights how difficult it is to stop the smuggling, which includes not just pot, but ecstasy, cigarettes, and other contraband. One US Customs and Border Protection guard says, "When the river freezes, there's so many snowmobiles out there we don't even bother. If border patrol tried to police the traffic, there would be a war." And a Mohawk smuggler tells the Post, "We go at night and run all night. I get on my Jet Ski, put on a helmet and night-vision goggles and just go. The boats we have are way faster than theirs. They can't catch us. There are about 100 [drug] millionaires on the res."