Cornwall man held in alleged smuggling across U.S. border

Six others arrested on drug, firearms counts after multi-agency investigation

A 35-year-old man from Cornwall is among seven people facing charges after a multi-agency, cross-border smuggling investigation.

Project Hammerhead was set up to investigate allegations that a sophisticated operation was active within the region, smuggling firearms, marijuana, and currency across the international border.

The Canada Border Services Agency launched the investigation, which included Cornwall police, Akwesasne Mohawk police, the OPP, the RCMP, the St. Regis Mohawk police, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

On Jan. 28, three locations in Cornwall, Cornwall Island, and Hogansburg, N.Y., were simultaneously searched under warrant. Officers seized a total of 555 kilograms of marijuana, $467,480 in Canadian funds, $3,000 in U.S. currency, three loaded handguns and their magazines, and five vehicles.

Two Cornwall residents, one from Cornwall Island, one from St. Regis, Que., and three from Hogansburg

were taken into custody.

On Wednesday, border services said Cornwall police had charged the 35-year-old man with importing and exporting cannabis, three counts of possession of a firearm contrary to prohibition order, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, four counts of careless storage of a firearm or ammunition, three counts of knowledge of unauthorized possession of a firearm, and three counts of possession of prohibited or restricted firearm.

The man was in police custody pending an appearance in Cornwall court on an undisclosed date.

The other six people taken into custody on Jan. 28, whose names were not released, were arrested by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Five were scheduled to appear on an undisclosed date before a U.S. magistrate judge on federal charges of knowingly and intentionally distributing and possessing for distribution more than 100 kilograms of marijuana.