FBI’s Major Operation Against Drug Distribution On Reservations

The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming and the Federal Bureau of Investigation held a press conference yesterday to announce the latest efforts in reducing drug trafficking and illegal guns on the Wind River Indian Reservation.

Nearly 100 personnel from the FBI converged on the reservation to issue arrest warrants for dangerous criminals who are distributing drugs and possessing firearms, either in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime or by them being a criminal in possession of a firearm.

“I want to be clear. We are going scorched Earth on criminal activity on the reservation and across Wyoming,” said U.S. Attorney Darin Smith. “There should be no doubt in your mind that if you are pedaling poison to Wyoming’s communities, we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law. I also want to thank the Riverton Police Department, and members of the Safe Trails Task Force, including the FBI, BIA, Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation, Wyoming Highway Patrol, and Fremont County Sheriff’s Department for their continued efforts to reduce criminal activity on the reservation.”

"The FBI's Rocky Mountain Safe Trails Task Force remains steadfast in its mission to crush violent crime and stop drug trafficking," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek. "Together with our federal, state, local, and tribal partners, we will hold criminals fully accountable and ensure that families on the Wind River Indian Reservation and across the region can live in safety."

The Safe Trails Task Force is a collaborative law enforcement effort focused on combating violent crime and drug trafficking, especially when it impacts the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone tribes. It unites the FBI with various law enforcement agencies, including tribal police departments, state and local law enforcement, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation.