8 arrested after search at house owned by Blackfeet chairman

BROWNING, Mont. (AP) — A federal search warrant executed at a residence owned by the chairman of the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council on Thursday led to eight people being taken into tribal custody, four for allegedly selling the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl, tribal law enforcement said.

Last week, the tribe declared a state of emergency after the northwestern Montana reservation saw four deaths and 17 drug overdoses over the period of a week earlier this month.

Tribal Chairman Timothy Davis was not among those arrested or charged, Blackfeet Tribal Prosecutor Josh Lamson told the Missoulian.

Lamson told the Great Falls Tribune he did not believe Davis was present while the search warrant was executed by tribal officers and FBI agents.

Four people were arrested on tribal warrants for selling a small amount of fentanyl to a witness in an ongoing investigation, Lamson said. Other arrests were based on what was found during the search of the house, he said.

The names of those arrested have not been released.

Tribal courts can hear misdemeanor charges. If federal charges are warranted, they would have to go through the indictment process.

Experts say fentanyl has been a top driver of growing numbers of overdose deaths across the U.S.