Spirit Lake Nation, nearby law enforcement sign agreement aimed at easier anti-drug enforcement - Grand Forks Herald

SPIRIT LAKE NATION — A new arrangement between tribal, state, and federal officials aims to crack down on drug trafficking in Spirit Lake Nation.

Chairperson Douglas Yankton, Sr., newly-appointed Attorney General Drew Wrigley, and Tino Lopez, the assistant special agent in charge at a regional office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, were among the signatories of a “deputation agreement” Wednesday at Spirit Lake’s casino and resort.

The document means, in essence, that nearby police departments, sheriffs offices, and North Dakota’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation can enforce federal laws on Spirit Lake land. Federal law encompasses much more than anti-drug provisions, but the agreement was made with drug crimes in mind, according to several Herald interviewees.

“I think you’re going to end up seeing in the near future probably a major bust, or multiple,” Yankton told the Herald. “I’m not so much worried about the users. Users have an addiction. It's the sellers who are making money off of those people’s addictions.”

The tribe dissolved its police department years ago amid logistical and financial concerns, which left law enforcement there to the BIA and FBI. Drug investigations in nearby Devils Lake, then, would need to stop at Spirit Lake’s borders, according to Nick Chase, North Dakota’s interim U.S. attorney.

“They did not have the legal basis to come and do a search warrant or anything else,” Chase said. “This allows that drug task force to do their work…and also come onto tribal lands.”

Wrigley told attendees that other tribal nations face a similar hurdle, and the agreement addresses a problem that wouldn’t be tolerated in any other North Dakota community.

“That’s the bottom line,” he said. “There should never be a pocket where we have challenges, jurisdictional or otherwise.”

The tribe or the feds can “revoke” the agreement at any time. Yankton said he hopes to review how well it's working within a year. And the agreement, he argued, has nothing to do with the tribe’s sovereignty.

“Just don’t be breaking the rules. Don’t be breaking the laws, either,” he told the Herald. “Plain and simple.”

source: https://www.grandforksherald.com/news/local/spirit-lake-nation-nearby-law-enforcement-sign-agreement-aimed-at-easier-anti-drug-enforcement

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