Canadian Man Pleads Guilty to Marijuana Smuggling

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Colin Stewart, age 41, of Elgin, Quebec, Canada, pled guilty today to conspiracy to distribute marijuana.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Special Agent in Charge James J. Hunt, New York Division, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Stewart admitted that he and his co-conspirators smuggled thousands of pounds of marijuana into the United States from Canada through the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation.  The marijuana was distributed throughout the northeastern United States.  Stewart admitted to organizing the smuggling, to the paying of co-conspirators, and to personally transporting thousands of pounds of marijuana across the St. Lawrence River from Canada into the United States.

The plea agreement calls for Stewart to serve 135 months in prison when he is sentenced on August 7, 2018.  The parties’ recommended sentence is subject to the approval of Chief United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby, who is presiding over the case.

The investigation and prosecution of Stewart was the result of a joint investigation by the DEA, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the United States Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, the New York State Police, the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police Department, the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Services, and the District Attorneys of Franklin and Clinton Counties.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine E. Kopita and Douglas G. Collyer.