AKWESASNE , NY – The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Council announced today that it has suspended the cigarette manufacturer license for Patrick Johnson (a.k.a “MHP Manufacturers”). The Tribal Council’s decision to take immediate action against the manufacturer stems from a federal indictment that was unsealed by the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York on April 20, 2006 alleging Johnson’s involvement in a major drug smuggling operation.

Federal agents provided a report to the Tribal Council implicating MHP Manufacturers and its facility in a criminal activity, thus violating the terms of the tribal license and providing justification for its immediate suspension. As a tribal licensee, Johnson is required to represent himself and conduct his business in an honorable and respectful manner.  

The Tribal Council has issued a notification for MHP Manufacturers to immediately close while the regulatory investigation is conducted by the Tribe’s Compliance Department. The Tribal Police Department will be involved in the internal investigation and will help determine the extent that the facility was used in illegal activities.

At the same time, the Tribal Council issued a Notice of Violation to Jacobs Manufacturing and will also conduct an investigation of the operation and its facility. One of that facility’s owners, Alan Jacobs, was arrested on drug related charges on April 12, 2006 . The facility will remain open while the regulatory investigation is conducted to determine the extent, if any, that the facility was used in an illegal manner.

The Tribe’s Tobacco Ordinance that was enacted on July 9, 2004 stipulates certain standards of conduct for tribally licensed facilities and provides the Tribal Council with the authority to make decisions in the best interest of the community. It provides the Tribal Council with the discretion to investigate or suspend a tribal license for offenses that jeopardize tribal revenue and integrity of the tobacco regulation.

The Tribe has a ‘Zero-Tolerance’ policy for tribal employees and for several years our community has been requesting the same policy apply for businesses licensed by the Tribe. The Tribal Council’s decision to immediately suspend the cigarette manufacturer license for Patrick Johnson and to investigate both MHP Manufacturers and Jacobs Manufacturing is evidence that the Tribe takes this policy seriously and will not tolerate violations of it.

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The St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Council is the duly elected and federally recognized government of the Mohawk people.