Liverpool resident is facing federal charges for marijuana

HOGANSBURG — A Liverpool man faces federal charges for reportedly having 55 pounds of marijuana.

Jeffrey Peluso, 37, was charged Friday with possession with the intent to distribute marijuana, federal court records show. St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police officers reportedly followed a pickup truck driven by Mr. Peluso to the Comfort Inn parking lot on Route 37, next to the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino.

Mr. Peluso crossed into the United States from Snye, Quebec, on Cook Road and didn't head to a customs inspection station, police said. A search of the pickup by U.S. Border Patrol agents reportedly found the marijuana hidden in a fuel tank.

He was arraigned in U.S. District Court in Plattsburgh before Judge Larry A. Kudrle. The judge remanded him into federal custody until a detention hearing Tuesday.