US Dept. of Justice: Two men convicted of multiple federal drug charges

(Fargo, ND) -- A jury convicted two men on multiple counts for their leadership in a drug trafficking organization, which targeted three North Dakota Native American Reservations.

A multi-agency investigation led by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Diversion of Drug Enforcement called "Operation Blue Prairie", found Baquan Sledge, Darius Sledge, and multiple co-conspirators specifically "targeted areas with fewer law enforcement resources where they could distribute controlled substances at a premium price", according to a press release sent by the U.S Department of Justice. Reservations affected include Turtle Mountain, Spirit Lake, and Fort Berthold. 

The release says Baquan, Darius, and their co-conspirators used reservation homes and residents for distribution and as places to store Oxycodone. A total of 26 defendants were charged. 

Baquan and Darius were both convicted on Continuing Criminal Enterprise, Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance, Possession with Intent to Distribute Oxycodone, and Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premise.