36 arrested in Fort Peck drug bust
Three dozen suspected prescription drug dealers were arrested Monday on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.
"This was huge," said Roosevelt County Sheriff Freedom Crawford, who said the drug bust appears to be the largest in the county's history.
Law enforcement officers from around the region — including Fort Peck tribal police officers and the Wolf Point police department — converged on the reservation early Monday, swelling the force of eight county deputies to a force of more than 50 officers, Crawford said.
"I don't have the resources to combat a problem of this magnitude, so our brother sheriffs stepped in to help me today," Crawford said.
The suspects will be arraigned today in tribal court, the sheriff said.
Dubbed "Operation New Beginning," the huge drug bust got its start last April when the sheriff launched an investigation into the illegal sale of prescription pills.
"In our area, we've been noticing that prescription pill trafficking is as great or greater than meth operations," Crawford said.
Drugs being re-sold included oxycontin, hydrocodone and morphine, and they're substantially cheaper than methamphetamines, Crawford said.
"The majority of people selling these drugs are addicted to these pills so badly that they're selling them for just a few dollars for their next fix of drugs," Crawford said.
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