FLANDREAU, S.D. – A South Dakota jury will soon have the case of a man who faces drug charges for helping an American Indian tribe that sought to develop a marijuana resort.
Closing arguments are scheduled Wednesday in the trial of Eric Hagen, who worked as consultant to the Flandreau Santee Sioux on their project near Sioux Falls.
The tribe pursued the project in 2015 after the Justice Department cleared the way for tribes to grow and sell marijuana under the same conditions as states that legalized pot.
But state and federal officials raised concerns about the Santee Sioux plan, and the tribe eventually burned its crop after federal officials signaled a potential raid.
Hagen has pleaded not guilty to charges related to possession of marijuana. He's argued it was the tribe's marijuana.
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