POPLAR, Mont. (AP) — A sting targeting suspected prescription drug dealers netted about three dozen suspects on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.
Authorities said more arrests were expected as part of "Operation New Beginning" because there are hundreds of prescription pill dealers in the region.
"I guarantee you there will be more arrests made," Roosevelt County Sheriff Freedom Crawford said. "Our goal is to get people off drugs, to get people to quit drug trafficking and to protect our community and our children."
Law enforcement officers from nearby cities and counties along with the Montana Highway Patrol and Fort Peck tribal police helped serve the arrest warrants on Monday.
Arraignments Expected in Tribal Court
Twenty-three female suspects were booked into the Roosevelt County jail in Wolf Point, while 12 men were booked into the trial jail in Poplar. Another suspect was already in custody.
The suspects were expected to be arraigned in tribal court this week.
Crawford began his investigation last April. He said the drugs being resold included the narcotic painkillers oxycodone, hydrocodone and morphine.
Some Pills Purchased at Indian Health Service Pharmacies
Many of the pills were initially purchased at the two Indian health service pharmacies on the reservation and two other pharmacies in the county, he said.
"It's my observation that there's no infrastructure or networking among pharmacies," Crawford said. "And until this begins to occur, we'll continue to have this problem."
More than 50 law officers from Roosevelt, Valley, Sheridan, Richland and Daniels counties participated in the arrests, along with the Glasgow and Wolf Point police departments.