Drug Trafficking Ring Dismantled by the Aboriginal Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit

MONTRÉAL, Wednesday, March 26, 2008 – Early this morning, the investigators of the Aboriginal Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (A-CFSEU) dismantled a criminal organization that allegedly specialized in the trafficking and exportation of marihuana to the United States.  

Operation Cancun led approximately 300 police officers to certain locations in the Montreal area and on the Aboriginal communities of Kahnawake, Akwesasne and Kanehsetake, resulting in the execution of approximately fifteen searches. Throughout this investigation, the participating Aboriginal law enforcement authorities, including the Kahnawake Mohawk Peacekeepers, Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service and St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police, acted as first-rate allies in the fight against organized crime.  The A-CFSEU partners, namely the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Sûreté du Québec and Drug Enforcement Administration, also received the assistance of the Ontario Provincial Police.

This major roundup operation resulted in the arrest of nearly thirty suspects, including eight in Kahnawake, ten in Akwesasne - including arrests in Quebec, Ontario and the United States, and one in Kanehsetake.  Other subjects were arrested in the Greater Montréal area.

Daniel Dwayne Delisle Jr., age 43 of Kahnawake

Sasha Diabo, age 23 of Kahnawake

Iohahiio Delisle, age 30 of Kahnawake

Darren Goodleaf, age 47 of Kahnawake

Timmy Montour, age 43 of Kahnawake

Louis Zachary, age 44 of Kahnawake

Michael Thomas, age 49 of Kahnawake

Karlie Goodleaf, age 35 of Kahnawake

Laura Benedict, age 27 of Akwesasne

Richard G. Oakes, age 26 of Akwesasne

Clearwater Roundpoint, age 27 of Akwesasne

Jodanna Logan, age 28 of Akwesasne

Calvin Lazore, age 24 of Akwesasne

Lindsay Jacobs, age 31 of Akwesasne

Ivan Nicholas, age 60 of Kanesatake

Glen Robinson, age 48 of Châteauguay

Michael Adub, age 38 of Montréal

Anastasios Leventis, age 30 of St-Laurent

Mihale Leventis, age 31 of St-Laurent

Gaétan Maréchal, age 48 of Verdun

Richard Nantel, age 49 of Verdun

Gaston Tardif, age 46 of Saint-Zotique

Brian Carter, age 42 of Montréal

Émilia  Porcia, age 31 of Montréal

James Garreffa, age 34 of Brossard

Daniel Guarino, age 37 of Montréal

Michael Chamas, age 44 of Montréal

Sunshine Roundpoint, age 27 of Hogansburg (NY)

Wishe Taiekawehe Bush, age 30 of Hogansburg (NY)

The members of this ring will face charges of criminal organization offence, drug exportation, possession of prohibited weapons, drug possession, drug trafficking, conspiracy to traffic in a drug, conspiracy to export a drug and drug production.

Prohibited Weapons Seized

The searches led police officers to seize several firearms, including two AK-47 machine guns, two M-16 machine guns and three grenade launchers.  The police also seized approximately 2 million dollars in cash and many other items, including luxury vehicles.

Furthermore, the Integrated Proceeds of Crime Unit has initiated an investigation to identify any proceeds gained through illegal activities linked to this criminal organization.

Earlier during the investigation, the police had uncovered marihuana grow operations in Châteauguay and Mascouche.

The A-CFSEU Fights Crime on Aboriginal Territories

The Aboriginal Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit was established in 2004 in the wake of the events that took place in Kanehsatake. This unit’s mission is to lead a high-level fight against criminal organizations operating on Quebec’s Aboriginal territories, as evidenced by the outcome of Project Cancun.

Criminal intelligence indicates that organized crime originates in the most part in large centres like Montreal and Toronto. Urban criminal organizations take advantage of the geographic situation of areas like the Kahnawake and Akwesasne territories to carry out illicit activities with the help of local facilitators.

It can be said therefore that there are criminal elements on some Aboriginal communities, just like there are elsewhere across the country. Taking advantage of the geographic situation in a specific area, these criminal elements act as facilitators, among other things, on behalf of criminal organizations seeking to import or export all kinds of commodities to and from the United States.