Ex-Mohawk chief faces new drug charges in NYC bust

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – A 69-year-old former chief of the St. Regis Mohawk tribe is in jail facing new federal drug charges that he tried to sell 1,800 ecstasy pills to an undercover agent in Queens.

The Drug Enforcement Administration says Philip H. Tarbell offered the pills in his trunk for $10 each and said he could also provide large quantities of marijuana.

Tarbell, of Hogansburg, already faces sentencing next week for having two hockey bags full of marijuana in his minivan last November when he was stopped by border patrol agents in the Adirondacks.

Federal prosecutors have recommended 18 to 24 months in prison for Tarbell's guilty plea in that case.

Defense attorney Michael Rhodes-Devey, who requested leniency due to Tarbell's service as a tribal leader and military veteran, declined to comment Tuesday.