HOGANSBURG MAN ARRESTED IN FEDERAL DRUG RAID

HOGANSBURG - A Hogansburg man faces federal charges after his home was
raided Thursday morning, with about 80 pounds of marijuana, an AK-47
assault rifle and several vehicles seized.

Michael Cook, no age available, of 62 Cook Farm Lane, was charged with
"conspiracy to possess and distribute more than 1,000 kilograms"
(2,204 pounds) of marijuana, according to St. Regis Mohawk Tribal
Police and federal court records. Mr. Cook will be arraigned in the
coming days in U.S. District Court in Albany.

A search warrant executed by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration
agents found marijuana, an assault rifle, truck, car, sport utility
vehicle, snowmobiles, trailer, several pieces of furniture and other
personal items that reportedly were bought using drug money.

"We will continue to enforce the law here in Akwesasne," Chief Andrew
J. Thomas said in a statement. "Our cooperative relationships with
other police agencies have been instrumental in our success in
combating the drug trade."

Several law enforcement agencies participated in the raid, including
Franklin County Drug Task Force, state police, U.S. Border Patrol,
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

A criminal complaint filed Thursday by a DEA agent says Mr. Cook, Sean
Herrmann and Scott Power were charged with conspiracy to possess and
distribute more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana. The four-page
complaint offers several taped conversations among the three suspects.
The conversations reportedly include them talking about the
distribution of pot and price for each pound, along with drop-off locations.

The complaint alleges that from April 2008 to Thursday, the three
possessed and distributed marijuana in Franklin and Rensselaer counties.