Rocky Boy drug enforcement unit now in operation

Staff and wire

The Chippewa Cree Tribe of Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation announced that a recently formed tribal drug enforcement unit already has made a significant impact on the reservation, and it plans to continue to expand operations.

A release from Rocky Boy said the new drug enforcement unit in conjunction with Rocky Boy Police Department’s Patrol Division made several arrests and confiscated 750 grams of methamphetamine, 5.5 grams of black tar heroin, five firearms including an assault rifle, opioid pills and $11,000 in cash in the last two weeks.

“The aggressive efforts to eradicate drug distribution in Rocky Boy will continue, with hopes that the drug enforcement unit will expand its division in the future,” the release said.

The release said the reservation police department formed the drug enforcement unit, comprising police department patrol officers, to combat illegal drug sales. The unit was created due to work of the Chippewa Cree Tribe’s initiative to educate the community and fight sales and use of narcotics, Project War Shield, the release said.

The objective was to create a law enforcement unit to investigate and present federal felony drug cases directly to the U.S. attorney’s office.

Felonies on the reservation generally are investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Planning the creation of the unit began in October when a retired U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs drug enforcement supervisor was hired as Project War Shield coordinator, the release said.

The police department began its drug enforcement unit strategic operations in mid-December.

Watch for more on this story in upcoming editions of the Havre Daily News.