POLICE RAID 'VAST' DRUG NET WORK IN FIRST NATIONS

MONTREAL . A joint operation between federal, provincial and
aboriginal police forces Tuesday disrupted what authorities are
calling a "vast drug trafficking" network that was operating on native
territory in and around Kanesatake in Quebec and Akwesasne in Ontario.

The RCMP and Surete du Quebec said the raids, carried out throughout
the afternoon, put a major damper on the flow of marijuana, cocaine
and designer drugs in the region. The message police sent Tuesday is
clear, said SQ Inspector Lino Maurizio. "We can catch them no matter
where they are."

RCMP Inspector Michel Arcand said the operation, christened Project
Connectivity also aims to improve security within the aboriginal
communities where the networks were conducting their business.

"Organized crime does not belong in this community," Insp. Arcand said
at a late afternoon press conference in Oka. "Violence and
intimidation will no longer be tolerated."

As many as 500 police officers have been participating in the vast
sweep, with arrests made in Kanesatake, Akwesasne, Oka, Montreal and
communities north of Montreal.

Police said marijuana trafficking in Kanesatake has evolved over the
past few years and has forged new ties between dealers on the Mohawk
territory northwest of Montreal and other organized crime groups.
Police believe Kanesatake, near Montreal, is being used as an staging
area to move marijuana and other illicit drugs into the U.S.

Sohenrise Paul Nicholas, Grand Chief of the Mohawk Council of
Kanesatake, said while he supports the police operation "in general,"
he couldn't understand why the focus of media attention was centred on
his community.

"This involves a small number of people, yet this is drawing a lot of
attention on us. It is not just a Mohawk problem."