EX-TRIBAL JUDGE INDICTED ON FEDERAL DRUG CHARGES

Mary Juan, a former Tohono O'odham tribal judge arrested last month,
was indicted Wednesday on federal drug-trafficking charges.

Some of the activities allegedly took place while Juan was a sitting
judge.

U.S. Customs patrol officers arrested Juan on May 14 at her home near
Sells after they found 15 bales of marijuana in the trunk of her car
and in a shed behind her house. Juan's home is just north of the
Mexican border and slightly east of the San Miguel border gate through
which couriers sometimes smuggle drugs.

Juan faces one charge specifically connected to last month's incident,
the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

In addition, the grand jury indictment issued in Tucson on Wednesday
charged Juan and her daughter-in-law, Miriam Johnson, with other
marijuana trafficking activities alleged to have taken place between
May 22, 1995, and May 14, 1999, the office said.

Juan served on the tribal court from October 1993 until early this
year, but was not assigned to criminal cases, Tribal Judge Lucilda
Norris said in an interview last month. Juan handled mostly civil
child abuse and neglect cases.

"It's unfortunate her credibility has come into question," Norris
said, noting that Juan's arrest came as a surprise to many in the community.

Two of the four counts facing Juan carry sentences of 10 years to life
in prison, while two others carry penalties of five to 40 years.

The southern flank of the Tohono O'odham Nation is frequented by
smugglers because it shares 76 miles of border with Mexico and
features remote terrain.