GREAT FALLS — Eleven people have been indicted following a months-long initiative called Operation Overdrive led by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration into drug trafficking on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation
The DEA initiative ran from approximately May to October and has resulted so far in the indictments of 11 people on various federal drug crimes, primarily involving methamphetamine and fentanyl, and firearms crimes.
The agency has not released the names of the suspects.
Montana's U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich, joined by representatives from the DEA, Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services, and Bureau of Indian Affairs, discussed the initiative during a news conference held at the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council offices in Browning on Thursday, December 5, 2024.
“The results of the six months of operation, it's been very powerful,” said David Olesky, Assistant Special Agent in Charge with the DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division.
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“It was a collaborative effort between my department of Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services, the DEA, FBI, and the U.S. Attorney's office,” said Misty Keller, Chief of Police with Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services.
The goal was to target the people trafficking drugs into the community. Six months later, Olesky calls it a success.
“Over the course of the six months between tribal and federal arrests, we're nearing 15 indictments,” Olesky said.
The work extends beyond the Blackfeet reservation. Three people outside of Montana who supply drugs to the area have been arrested.
Chief Keller said her team was energized by this initiative: “To have that many indictments in that short of a time period is pretty extraordinary."
Fentanyl is the number one cause of death for people 18-45. Operation Overdrive is an optimistic step towards the end of the drug epidemic.
“These 15 or so arrests, both at the tribal and federal level, I think are going to have a lasting impact on the community here,” Olesky said.
The connection between local and federal agencies also points toward a collaborative future.
“Now that the relationships have been strengthened, we're going to continue to partner up here and have our folks from the DEA Montana offices continue to support their efforts up here,” Olesky said.
Although Operation Overdrive’s six month operation has ended, the work is far from over, and the DEA is determined to do everything they can for the future.
Click here to learn more about the DEA’s “One Pill Can Kill” Initiative.
