Kahnawake men on trial for organized crime from tobacco smuggling bust

Derek White and Hunter Montour.

A jury will begin deliberations next week in the trial of two Mohawk men from Kahnawake, Que., facing charges in connection with the Sûreté du Québec's largest ever operation targeting a contraband tobacco ring. Sixty people were arrested on March 30, 2016 in connection with Operation Mygale, an investigation into the smuggling of tobacco.

Derek White has pleaded not guilty to three counts of fraud, three counts of conspiracy to commit fraud and profiting from organized crime, while Hunter Montour has pleaded not guilty to aiding organized crime. The Crown argued White was the head of his own criminal organization that smuggled tobacco into Quebec without paying federal excise duties or Quebec taxes, and Montour was a member of that criminal organization.