More than 300 police officers are dismantling a marijuana operation at the Mohawk community of Kanesatake, northwest of Montreal, in one of the largest law-enforcement operations in the area since the 1990 Oka crisis.

The RCMP, the Surete du Quebec and Kanesatake Peacekeepers, acting on citizen complaints, are conducting raids at 13 locations in an attempt to dismantle the grow operation. At least 16 people have been arrested so far as part of Project Cerro, and police have seized drugs and equipment that were part of greenhouses.

The Mounties also said earlier reports of shots fired were actually "detonations," but further details were not immediately available.

Vindication for Gabriel?

Former Kanesatake grand chief James Gabriel had warned for years about an entrenched group of drug dealers who were operating in the community, but he and his family were chased out of town in 2004 after he tried to enforce a crackdown.

The raids are a sign of renewed co-operation between native and non-native law enforcement following years of violence and mistrust. Police say organized criminal groups were dealt a major blow.

"Police wish to send a strong message to criminal organizations that are harmful to aboriginal communities and that constitute a direct threat to the safety of its residents," RCMP Cpl. Carole Letang told reporters.

"We can stop them no matter where they may be hiding."

Violent history

Tuesday's raids are just the latest chapter in the nearly 400-year history of the Kanesatake Mohawk community, which is not considered a reserve as defined by the federal government.

The climax came in the summer of 1990 when the army was called in following the shooting death of a provincial police officer during a land-claims dispute over a golf course in the neighbouring community of Oka. The standoff ended when Mohawk warriors surrendered after 78 days.

Policing, drug problems

The years following the Oka crisis were filled with numerous power struggles between the elected band council and traditionalists who view the elected process as the white man's creation.

There has often been violent infighting, most notably during a January 2004 policing dispute in which then-grand chief Gabriel's house was burned to the ground.

Gabriel had fired the police chief and brought in native officers from outside Kanesatake to deal with what he said were drug dealers and other criminals.

His move touched off a violent night that included the torching of his home and a siege in which the outside police officers were surrounded and confined to the local station house by an angry mob.

The Surete du Quebec, ever-cognizant of its violent history with the community, was initially reluctant to conduct solo police operations at Kanesatake but it had recently participated in joint patrols with the RCMP.

Change coming?

The participation of the peacekeepers in Tuesday's raids suggests that the new chief, Paul Nicolas, gave his blessing to the operation. The 36-year-old chief won last summer's band elections on a platform of change.