Cigarette smuggling and the Akwesasne Mohawk Reserve

In this CBC Television news report from 1988, reporter Bruce Garvey takes a long look at the selling -- some call smuggling -- of tax-free cigarettes at the Akwesasne Indian Reserve. Garvey presents this report on the difficulties created by the unique situation of the Akwesasne Indian Reserve, which spans the U.S.-Canada border. Some of the Natives feel that they should be allowed to cross the border without the indignity of having to answer questions and have their cars searched daily; others take advantage of the reserve's sovereignty and exemptions from sales tax by smuggling cigarettes over the border at night and selling them tax free to Canadians. The cigarette dealers and bingo hall operators on the reserve cause the local Mohawk government more grief than the U.S. and Canadian Federal governments combined...