Colville Tribal Police Assist in Drug and Gun Seizure

(Nespelem, WA) — More than 161,000 fentanyl-laced pills were seized on April 19,  2023. The seizure also included approximately 80 pounds of methamphetamine, 6 pounds  of heroin and more than 2 pounds of cocaine. The drugs are believed to have been headed  to the Colville Reservation and other Native American communities.  

Twelve firearms were also seized. Five individuals have been indicted so far in federal  court by the United States Attorney for Eastern Washington for conspiracy to distribute  50 grams or more of actual (pure) methamphetamine and 400 grams or more of fentanyl,  as well as other charges related to drug trafficking. 

The investigation, seizure and arrests were conducted by a team comprised of tribal,  federal, state and local agencies. The North Central Washington Narcotics Task Force is  commanded by Colville Tribal Police Chief Steve Brown, with another Colville Tribal  Police Officer assigned to serve on the Task Force. Other participating agencies includedthe Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Drug Enforcement, the Drug Enforcement  Administration, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the  Okanogan County Sheriff and the Kalispel Tribal Police Department. 

Colville Business Council Chairman Jarred-Michael Erickson said, “The Colville Tribes  will aggressively hold drug traffickers accountable for their crimes. We know the damage  these drugs do to our community and this seizure is just a start of our efforts to remove  drugs from the Colville Reservation.” 

The Chairman continued, “I applaud the significant contributions to these arrests that  were made by the Colville Tribal Police, including Chief Brown. I also wish to thank  Vanessa R. Waldref, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, for the cooperation of her office in the investigation and for the diligent prosecution of the  accused drug traffickers. I also thank all the other federal, state and local agencies who  contributed. This drug seizure is a great example of how we can protect our community  when we work together.”