On Fri, May 8, 2009 at 8:07 AM, John Hudson <OM4T@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> That also happens to be the biggest cross US / Canada border cigarette
> smuggling route on the map !
>
> Aren't both side of the border at that point adjoining Indian reserves ?
Yes, it is the same tribe (Mohawk, part of the Six Nations or Iroquois).
They've been "smuggling" for some time. My dad was the only cop on
the Canadian part of that reserve back during the US experiment with
prohibition. He busted plenty of Indians, and white farm boys with
rowboats. Never managed to get the big bosses, though. Those
guys founded major businesses in Toronto or Montreal; their
descendants are among Canada's most respectable families.
Is it smuggling? My understanding is that the treaty they signed
when they gave up their land makes them completely immune to
that border. If an Indian comes through customs driving a semi,
the customs officer simply does not have the right to look inside.
The treaty says Mohawks can ignore the border. Period.
Of course neither the US nor the Canadian gov't is happy with
that interpretation.
On the Canadian side, the Ontario provincial gov't bitches about
"smuggling" when Indians bring in cigarettes and do not pay
provincial taxes on them. Not sure if NY state does the same.
--
Sandy Harris,
Quanzhou, Fujian, China
--
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