Ex-Mohawk chief charged in upstate NY pot bust

SCHROON LAKE, N.Y. (AP) – A former chief of the St. Regis Mohawk tribe has been indicted on federal drug charges after U.S. Border Patrol agents say he was caught transporting nearly 100 pounds of marijuana.

Federal officials say Philip Tarbell of Hogansburg was in a minivan stopped on Nov. 12 by Border Patrol agents at a checkpoint near Schroon Lake in the Adirondacks. Federal officials say agents found about 95 pounds of marijuana in two hockey bags.

The 68-year-old Tarbell was charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana. He was released Nov. 25 after posting $10,000 bail.

Tarbell was a leader in the former tribal government for the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation on the Canadian border.

Tarbell's lawyer had no immediate comment.