Eight people were arrested Thursday at the residents of the Blackfeet Nation's chairman, at least four of them on charges related to the sale of synthetic opioids.
FBI spokesperson Sandra Barker said a search warrant was executed at Tribal Business Council Chairman Timothy Davis’ home. He was not there at the time of the arrests and was not among those taken into custody.
Barker said the search is part of an ongoing investigation and declined to share more details about the case. Blackfeet law enforcement, which announced the search warrant in a press release, did not respond to a request for comment by deadline.
Reached on his cell phone, Chairman Davis told MTPR he was not at home when law enforcement officers searched his residence. He said he did not know anything about the case and declined to comment further.
Tribal Council Member Mark Pollock confirmed that Davis was traveling on behalf of the tribe at the time the warrant was executed. Blackfeet Prosecutor Josh Lamson says at least four tribal arrest warrants were served for the alleged sale of a small amount of fentanyl. Those individuals are set to be arraigned Friday.
Statement from the Blackfeet Tribal Prosecutors’ Office
— Aaron Bolton (@ambolton1) April 1, 2022
On March 31, 2022, a federal search warrant was executed at a home in Browning, MT by the FBI, with support from Blackfeet Law Enforcement. Incidental to that search, eight people were arrested on tribal charges.
Lamson says it isn’t yet clear what the remaining four people are charged with. The names of those arrested have not been released.