A jury trial has been scheduled for Feb. 23 in U.S. District Court in Fargo before Judge Peter Welte for some defendants whom authorities allege were part of a a drug trafficking ring that distributed oxycodone on the Fort Berthold, Turtle Mountain, and Spirit Lake reservations between 2015 and 2019. The ring also reportedly had ties to Detroit, Mich.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Fargo held a press conference on Thursday to discuss developments in “Operation Blue Prairie.”

Authorities allege that the ring leaders of the operation were Baquan Ramon Sledge Jr. and Darius Martese Sledge, who were each indicted for participaing in a continuing criminal enterprise. Directly under them in the operation were Derrick Eugene Walker and Dondiago Francisco Jones, both of whom are from Detroit and who, along with Baquan Sledge and Darius Sledge, were indicted for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Also indicted in the conspiracy were Terrance P. Johnson Jr., Deante Edwards, Anthony Wade, Lillian Lee, Twon Stepfone Boyd, Ira Mae Snell, Grayson Dye, Martina Whitetail, Robert Touche, Calvin Dubois, Edward Dubois, Chantel Longie, Kerry Morin, Kasondra Grant, Constance Aiken, Shanae Dubois, Faith Liddell, Cheryl Lilley, Farron DeLong, Johnna Goodiron, Shanel Mudgett, and Carleen Counts.

Other related indictments were handed down against some of the participants.

As part of the conspiracy, some of the defendants allegedly sought out oxycodone users to buy illegal drugs from others or found “sub-distributors” of oxycodone to provide the drug for other conspirators, according to the complaint. Some of them were allegedly in possession of guns that were used to protect the drug supply and ongoing activity. Some used houses on a reservation or reservations to distribute the drugs. Money laundering was also allegedly part of the operation, with some of the participants wiring the proceeds of drug transactions from North Dakota to Michigan or other locations.