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Volume
6 Number 33
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September
19, 1997
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Airbase to employ
250
RCMP carry out sting
operation on South Texas Ranch
Editorial
Comics
Airbase
to employ 250
By: Kenneth Deer
The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake has an opportunity to become a partner in a joint venture with U.S. interests in an aircraft maintenance company in northern New York State.
The company is called Aviation Resources Incorporated (ARI) and it will refurbish and do maintenance work on large bodied commercial aircraft such as Boeing 747s, 76's, MD 11s, Airbus 320s and other aircraft.
Negotiations are going ahead to lease large hangers at the Griffiss Airforce Base near Rome, N.Y., on Interstate 90 between Syracuse and Albany.
ARI is a consortium of partners from Philadelphia, Plattsburgh and the MCK. The partners from the US are involved in the aircraft industry and will provide expertise and marketing. Their names will be announced later, right now they are employed by other companies.
Kahnawake's stake is to provide a four million dollar investment. In return Kahnawake will get a 25 percent share of the company and priority in the hiring of Mohawk employees.
The primary goal of MCK's involvement is to get a return on their investment and to create 250 jobs for Mohawks over the first four years of operation. Another objective is to expand the political relations between Canada and Kahnawake and the political relationship between Mohawks and New York State.
"The project will go ahead with or without us but we have been prominent in its development," said Norton.
"This is an opportunity to look outside the borders of Kahnawake and into our traditional territory," said Grand Chief Joe Norton. "By putting a foothold in Griffiss, it opens the door to NY State."
Market for maintenance
The maintenance of aircraft is a growing field. As new and tougher aviation standards are enforced, airlines have to have their aircraft updated and maintained on a regular basis. Airlines do not have the facilities to do heavy maintenance, so they send the aircraft to specialized companies. Right now the only aircraft maintenance company in the east is in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina. All others are on the west coast.
By opening a company in Griffis, it will be near the air traffic hubs of New York, Boston and Detroit. An average overhaul of a Boeing 747 is $1.2 million dollars in California. ARI will be able to do the same work for about $800,00.
ARI will be hiring 250 employees each year for the first four year for a total of 1000 workers. The MCK will want 25 percent of those jobs given to Mohawks. Salaries will range from $12 to $20 US an hour.
In the startup phase, skilled workers in welding, carpentry and other fields will be needed and there are many in Kahnawake who could fill these jobs. For highly technical areas that need Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) certification, such as airframe technicians, engine maintenance and overhaul, aircraft inspector, etc., training will be available at the site in Griffiss, in the Montreal are or in technical schools in other places.
"We realize that it will be difficult to fill the highly technical jobs at the beginning but down the line, more of our people will be trained in the specialized fields," said Frank Vieni, a consultant for the MCK.
Griffiss Airforce Base
Located near Rome, NY Griffiss Airforce Base has been deactivated just like Plattsburgh's. ARI was very interested in Plattsburgh but Plattsburgh opted to go with another consortium. Griffiss actually has a larger hanger than Plattsburgh and has excellent support facilities and infrastructure. The hangers will need a little modification to allow a 747's tail section to fit but all otherwise the facilities are excellent.
There is a large housing complex as part of the airbase where workers can find inexpensive accommodation.
The base is managed by Griffiss Local Development Corporation (GLDC) and, while Plattsburgh was less than warm to the Mohawks, Griffiss were very anxious to deal with the MCK.
"Their first words to us were 'Welcome back to Mohawk Territory', This was an entirely different attitude from Plattsburgh and they rolled out the red carpet for us," said Norton.
GLDC will also contribute $4 million to the project. The Governor of New York is said to be very supportive as are other Mohawks in New York State. Norton will be meeting with Ray Halbriter of Oneida 32 Acres next week to discuss the project.
The MCK will also be discussing the establishment of a tax exempt process either through Akwesasne or 32 Acres. An arrangement may be made for salaries to be tax free. Griffiss itself is trying to establish a free trade zone in the area of the airbase.
Where will money come from?
Norton said the four million dollars could come from the Canadian Government. Preliminary discussions with government officials indicated a positive reaction.
"Right now Kahnawake spends $9 million a year on welfare. An investment of $4 million US will payoff very quickly in reduced welfare to the government," said Vieni.
Canada recently loaned $87 million interest free to Bombardier who is starting a plant in Plattsburgh to build railway cars. Why can't Canada do something similar for us, asks Norton.
Bombardier may be interested in getting involved in the training of employees which could also lead to jobs in the rail project in Plattsburgh.
"This project is a positive move. It brings us back into traditional Mohawk Territory without confrontation and has the potential to expand into other areas. The benefits economically, socially, and politically are incalculable at this time," said Norton.
RCMP carry
out sting operation on South Texas Ranch
By: Kenneth Deer
By setting up a fake transportation organization, the RCMP were able to penetrate the activities of Matthew Watio Lazare resulting in his arrest and the arrest of Brian Jacobs. Nine other warrants are outstanding for seven men and two women from Kahnawake.
In a joint operation between the MUC Police and the RCMP that lasted over a year and a half, the RCMP tracked stolen goods, moonshine and cigarettes in and out of South Texas Ranch. A direct raid onto the ranch was canceled at the last minute because of concerns expressed by the Peacekeepers.
RCMP operations
The RCMP had three operations occurring simultaneously called Cavale, Carafon1 and Carafon 2.
Cavale was the wire tap operation of South Texas Ranch and was ongoing for about one year. The taps alerted the police to the size and the types of activities taking place at the ranch.
Carafon 1 was the setting up of a transportation front. Undercover police created a trucking operation that gained the confidence of Lazare and transported the stolen goods to and from Lazare's warehouse.
Carafon 2 was the undercover operation which began with the insertion of a undercover operation which began with the insertion of an undercover operator as an employee at the warehouse on the ranch. The agent worked inside, delivered to stores, swept floors, did manual labour and was a Jack-of-all trades.
Lazare was arrested outside of Dunkin' Donuts in Lasalle on Lafluer Blvd. at 7:30 a.m. after being lured there by an undercover operator for the transport front. The operator later called Brian Jacobs telling him that Lazare was in the hospital with serious stomach pain and Lazare wanted to talk to him. Police knew that Lazare has a history of stomach problems. Jacobs, 36, was arrested in front of the Montreal General Hospital along with Frank McComber. McComber was released that evening and may be charged later.
Distributed moonshine
Lazare's operation was connected to the two large stills seized in Lachute last February and the one belonging to the Barbeau brothers shut down recently in L'Ascension. The stills produced alcohol in less than sanitary conditions and were sold on the black-market to bars and other buyers.
According to police, 4,000 cases containing six 1.75 liter bottles of moonshine were shipped to South Texas Ranch where counterfeit labels were applied. These bottles then were sold and transported to different locations. Police speculate some of this moonshine could be on shelves in Kahnawake. The counterfeit brand names used were Bukoff Vodka, Tia Maria, Five Star Whiskey, Carioca White Rum and London Dry Gin. Lazare also supplied the Barbeau brothers with large quantities for sugar for their distillery operations.
Illegally produced alcohol or moonshine, can be dangerous to a person's health. A bad batch could result in blindness and even death according to police.
The undercover investigation of Lazare's warehousing operation solved several theft-related cases in the Montreal area. Although Lazare was not involved in the thefts, according to police these materials passed through his warehouse. These include:
Lazare also paid $74,000 in two dollar coins to an undercover operator for various transportation duties for Lazare. These coins came from the theft of a container from the CN Turcot yards in July of 1996. The coins were in special plastic containers that hold 8,000 coins and weight over 100 pounds. It took four trips to take the coins out.
Police also claim that Lazare had a machine that wraps cigarette packages with a British Columbia duty paid seal. He had people unwrap the cellophane around cigarettes packages and rewrap the packages with the machine.
RCMP Sergeant Michael Roussy, the arresting officer, was not happy that they were not able to go into South Texas Ranch to seize more evidence.
"Lazare is the one we wanted, not his neighbors or the guy down the street. We wanted to get his books, some of the stolen material, the moonshine poison, but not the contraband. That was low on our priority list," said Roussey. "It was more important to seize materials from armed robberies."
Asked if Lazare was involved in drugs, Roussy emphasized that they have no information that he was involved in the importation or trafficking of drugs. However, they have evidence that Lazare had invested a large amount of money with Richard KiKi Gravel on a drug deal involving the importation of cocaine but Lazare was not directly involved.
The RCMP also stated that Lazare had no direct contact with Hell's Angels as reported in other media. However, there was an individual in contact with Lazare and the Rock Machine motorcycle gang. Rock Machine affiliates frequented the warehouse and Lazare himself.
Kahnawake not a haven for criminals
By: Kenneth Deer,
Eastern Door
It has been said before and it is worth saying again: the number one threat to the peace and security to the peace and security of Kahnawake is the criminal activity that takes place within our borders.
It has been the drug dealers, counterfeiters, stolen car rings, gun sales and other criminal activities that has drawn the attention of the police forces to Kahnawake more than cigarettes and alcohol.
Yet, several people still feel that it is their right to carry on these activities without any concern for the rest of the community. The recent arrest of two individuals allegedly involved in the fencing of stolen goods is only a few of the people who were knowingly involved in this illegal operation. Everyone of them is just as responsible for the threat of a large scale incursion by outside forces into our territory.
Even though the physical invasion was averted, it has been replaced with extremely negative press in both languages, French in particular. In recent months, the mainstream press has been quite fair in reporting on Native issues, including any articles involving Mohawks. All of this seems to have changed with the Journal de Montreal leading the way with the most sensationalist reporting and other newspapers and media trying to catch up. Kahnawake's image certainly lost some luster during this past week.
The real culprit in this whole affair, other than the accused themselves, may be the RCMP. Under the Policing Agreement, signed, coincidentally, on September 11, three years previous to the day that the raid was supposed to take place, the Peacekeepers are the primary police force in Kahnawake. The RCMP are to cooperate fully with the Peacekeepers in all matters concerning policing.
It certainly appears that the RCMP were not acting according to the spirit and intent of the Agreement and were not giving the Peacekeepers all the information necessary for the Peacekeepers to allow a raid of that size to take place. The lack of cooperation and the withholding of information from the Peacekeepers to allow a raid of that size to take place. The lack of cooperation and the withholding of information from the Peacekeepers seem to indicate a lack of trust and confidence in Kahnawake's Peacekeepers by the RCMP. Treating the Peacekeepers as a second class police force is insulting and demeaning to the force as well as to the community from which the majority of the officers are drawn.
The behaviour of the RCMP indicate that they suspect the Peacekeepers of collusion with the criminals. There does not seem to be any other explanation. The RCMP have some explaining to do.
Before the RCMP and the Peacekeepers can work together again, the RCMP must show our Peacekeepers more respect and treat them as equals.
At the same time, it appears that the Peacekeepers need the RCMP to shot down some of the illegal activities in Kahnawake. Unless the Peacekeepers can demonstrate that, on their own, they can go onto someone's property and dismantle an operation as large as the one the RCMP wanted to shut down, then relations with the RCMP are mot that important. But the situation seems to indicate that the RCMP and the Peacekeepers must have a working relationship if this community is going to get rid of all the criminal operations in this community.
Not allowing the RCMP into Kahnawake for that one particular raid was the right decision. But that should not be interpreted by the criminals that they are free from investigation and arrest. It is now up to the Peacekeepers to prove that Kahnawake is not a safe haven for criminals.
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