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A Quebec man accused of supplying potent Canadian marijuana to much of the U.S. eastern seaboard set aside $2-million to finance the murder of anyone who rats on him, New York prosecutors allege.

Further, Jimmy Cournoyer, 33, of Laval, built his $1-billion drug empire by “gaining control over ports and customs checkpoints through a combination of covert operations and outright political corruption” and abusing “sovereign tribal lands” on First Nations’ reserves “that are almost impossible to police,” prosecutors claim.

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Mr. Cournoyer, known by the nicknames Cosmo and Superman, was living a playboy lifestyle until arrested in Mexico last year and flown to face trial in New York.

The accusations in pre-trial motions add new detail to the U.S. government’s view of his vast empire.

Cracking encrypted BlackBerry messages between suspects revealed his alleged assassination fund, which is about equal in value to the elite sports car Mr. Cournoyer owned, a judge in Brooklyn was told.