Tobacco products from St. Regis Mohawk Reservation seized

Monday, April 30, 2012  

Authorities in St. Lawrence County have repeatedly seized tobacco products from the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation despite a state policy against doing so.

Attorney Lorraine White, a former chief of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, counted six seizures in the last few months. "This is not happening anywhere else in the state," she told The Albany Times-Union.

In January, the county seized 26,160 cartons of Signal brand tobacco products that were manufactured on the reservation. The shipment was headed to the Winnebago Reservation in Nebraska.

Ho-Chunk Inc., the Winnebago Tribe's economic development corporation, has sued the county for the return of the products. The company says the state lacks jurisdiction over inter-tribal commerce.

The products are worth over $2 million, according to HCI. If they remain in the county's custody, they will go stale and can't be sold.

HCI also owns Indianz.Com and AllNative.Com.

Get the Story:
Indian cigarette chaos (The Albany Times-Union 4/30)