KANESATAKE, QUE. -- A Mohawk chief, whose house was torched in a policing dispute, has long been obsessed by a phantom illegal drug problem, says a band council opponent. "He's fixated on drugs this whole term in office," said Steven Bonspille, who plans to run to replace Grand Chief James Gabriel in July's election.
"He should have tried to be chief of police somewhere instead of being a grand chief."
A tense standoff between barricaded police officers and protesters ended early yesterday when the province brokered a deal to temporarily install a new aboriginal force.
Bonspille denied allegations the Mohawk community west of Montreal is a haven for organized crime and marijuana growing operations.
"Kanesatake is no different than any other community when it comes to social problems," he said two days after Gabriel's house was destroyed by fire.
"There is no magical barrier around my community to stop either drugs or alcohol."
Brother Barry Bonspille, executive director of the band council, also said the drug story has been overblown.
"There is no problem with law and order," he said. "The biggest problem here is health, housing, roads and education."
The denials came after newspaper reports suggested the community has been infiltrated by the Hells Angels biker gang, which controls much of Quebec's illegal drug trade.
Guy Ouellette, a retired Quebec provincial police investigator who is an expert on bikers, said organized crime is alive and well on the reserve.
"Organized crime, for as long as I can remember, has ties in Kanesatake for sure, with some individuals," he said.
"We (officers) knew they had ties with a puppet club of the Hells Angels called the Death Riders regarding the production of (marijuana) grow operations that they had on the territory."
Ouellette suggested some factions on the reserve, including individuals within the native police force, didn't want to see a crackdown on drug operations.
"It's certainly the first time in my career that someone wanted to fight organized crime and the system tried to stop it."
But Bonspille denied any knowledge of an infiltration by the Hells.
"I have lived here my whole life. I have no direct knowledge or indirect knowledge of the Hells Angels being in Kanesatake."
