Last Thursday, the Unites States Secret Service, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department, the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office and the Suffolk County Probation Department answered the Shinnecocks' call for help a second time with a dramatic display that would have struck fear into the most fearless young criminals' hearts. Dispatching SWAT teams, helicopters and hundreds of policemen, the authorities stormed the reservation just before dawn. Along with large quantities of marijuana, crack, cocaine and heroin, authorities seized a loaded AK-47, eight handguns, eight rifles, eight shotguns, four cars (including three luxury sport utility vehicles), a computer and flat screen monitor and almost $2,000 in currency.

Although innocent residents of the reservation were initially alarmed by the commotion, they expressed relief that the threats to their community's safety had been removed.

One of the most controversial arrests made during the raid was one of Tribal Trustee Lance Gumbs' sons, Awan Gumbs, the alleged leader of a cocaine-dealing operation that supplied most of the cocaine to the reservation and to eastern Suffolk County. It was discovered that Awan Gumbs had been doing some of his dealings out of his father's Shinnecock Smoke Shop on Montauk Highway. Although Awan Gumbs' attorney claims that his client's arrest is due to the fact that the Shinnecock Nation is in conflict with the local government over their plans to build a casino, Trustee Gumbs released an official statement acknowledging that the raid was made with the consent of the Trustees and that the removal of these people and weapons from their community was necessary.

Along with Awan Gumbs, John A. Miles of Mastic and Terrill Latney of Mastic Beach were arrested for supplying large amounts of cocaine to Gumbs' operation. Eight other reservation residents, including Joseph Johnson, Michael Morton, Damon Wade, Nakai Bess, William I. Bess, Linee Quinn, Damon Moore and Matthew Smith were also arrested, on charges ranging from criminal possession of marijuana and criminal sale of a controlled substance to criminal possession of a weapon and conspiracy. Two non-reservation residents, Kristine Goree of Hampton Bays and Kyle Bartlett of Riverhead, were also arrested on charges of conspiracy and criminal possession of marijuana, respectively. Police expect to make more arrests in the near future, as they are still in the process of dismantling this powerful, far-reaching drug ring.

The next day, Riker's Island Correctional Facility employee Gary Morton turned himself in to the state police in Farmingdale. Morton was to be charged with conspiracy at an arraignment on Saturday for supplying heroin to the reservation. His uncle, Michael Morton, had been arrested the day before, for selling heroin on the reservation.

The raid is perhaps the most dramatic of recent Federal involvement in reining in illegal practices on the East End. Hopefully, now that the drug ring has been disbanded and the dangerous members of the community removed, the Shinnecock Nation will be able to concentrate on rebuilding their community and working on the many projects that they hope will help them to become a prosperous, successful Nation. The Shinnecock Nation has the richest history of any group on the East End and their influence is evident in the names of our towns and on our State Seal. Any member of their Nation who bring illegal drugs to these respected members of the East End community deserves to be punished. At this point, perhaps the rest of the East End will view the Shinnecock Nation in a more positive light, making them more receptive to cooperating with the Shinnecocks on some of their community-wide projects.