NorfolkMan Busted For 511 Pounds Of Pot

AKWESASNE - A suspicious minivan parked behind an abandoned home near the U.S.-Canada border on Monday led St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police to seize 511 pounds of marijuana and a loaded shotgun and arrest a Norfolk man.

Andrew M. Comins, 22, of 274 Lacomb Road, was charged Monday with possessing more than 100 kilograms of marijuana, federal court records show. Franklin County District Attorney Derek P. Champagne said Wednesday he expects more federal charges will be filed.

A criminal complaint filed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent said that St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police responded about 7 a.m. Monday to a suspicious vehicle on Brown Road that was less than a mile from the U.S.-Canada border.

Tribal police found a minivan with its headlights on parked behind an abandoned home. The driver, later identified as Mr. Comins, was found to have two arrests warrants out for him.

Mr. Champagne said one of the warrants is from a pending felony driving while intoxicated charge in Franklin County Court.

While searching the minivan, tribal police reportedly found a loaded shotgun on the front passenger seat. An officer then noticed a hockey bag and several garbage bags in the back, court records show.

"The back of the van was nearly full with marijuana," the ICE agent wrote.

Mr. Champagne, who declined to elaborate on the seizure, said the value of the marijuana in Franklin County could reach $2,800 a pound, with a pound of pot selling for about $4,000 in Albany and nearly $7,000 in New York City, making the street value of the haul as much as $3.5 million.

Mr. Comins was arraigned Tuesday in U.S. District Court, Plattsburgh, before Judge Larry A. Kudrle and remanded to federal custody. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth A. Horsman asked the judge to remand him without bail because he was considered a flight risk and a danger to the community, court records show.

A detention hearing is scheduled for Sept. 13.