Federal and local authorities raided the marijuana farm on the XL Rancheria in California on July 8, 2015. Photo by Bruce Brown / Facebook
Jerry Montour, a Native entrepreneur from Canada, was helping two tribes in California grow marijuana before the operations were raided by federal authorities on Wednesday. Montour is Mohawk from the Wahta Mohawk Territory. He serves as CEO and an owner of Grand River Enterprises, a tobacco manufacturing company based on the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario. Montour "financed" the marijuana operations at the Alturas Rancheria and the XL Rancheria, a reservation that is home to the Pit River Tribe, according to an affidavit filed in federal court by a affidavit filed in federal court special agent. That statement was based on information from a confidential informant and from Wendy Del Rosa, an Alturas tribal member who opposed the grow on her reservation. Montour has faced legal problems in the past. However, federal authorities did not arrest anyone in connection with their raid and no charges are pending against anyone. More than 12,000 marijuana plants and more than 100 pounds of processed marijuana were seized from the two reservations. Get the Story:
Feds Snatch Massive Weed Haul at Sites Allegedly Linked to Big Tobacco (Vice 7/10) Relevant Documents:
Department of Justice Policy Statement Regarding Marijuana Issues in Indian Country (October 2014)
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