Law agencies search for drug trafficking evidence

Two local law enforcement agencies assisted in the execution of criminal search warrants in Kalispell, Whitefish and Somers on Wednesday as part of the culmination of a yearlong multi-agency investigation into marijuana trafficking activities.

A total of 12 criminal search warrants were executed in Kalispell, Whitefish, Missoula and Somers, with a further four civil seizure warrants for financial institutions in Missoula seeking an unspecified amount of money, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Items seized will not be disclosed until search warrant returns are filed with the U.S. District Court.

The release stated that “individuals with illnesses who are in clear and unambiguous compliance with state law are not the focus of this investigation.”

It also explained that “no federal criminal charges, indictments, informations or complaints” have been filed against anyone who was targeted by the search warrants, civil warrants or related documents.

The investigation was a collaborative effort between the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal Revenue Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Secret Service, the Missoula Police Department, the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office, the Missoula High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and the Ravalli County Sheriff’s Office.

The searches were aided by Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations, the Montana Division of Criminal Investigations, the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office, the Kalispell Police Department and the Northwest Montana Drug Task Force.