Drug ring sprang from oil and gas boom in N.D.; leader found guilty of ordering hit on fellow dealer

Billy Owens

Too much money and too much free time can equal disaster in rural areas where shady characters are waiting to exploit any opportunities they can find. That's a problem in western North Dakota's Bakken Shale region, where a methamphetamine empire sprang up, with the drugs manufactured and sold across several Western states. Twelve people from North Dakota, Washington and Montana have since been indicted on drugs and weapon charges, and suspected ring leader Billy Owens is on trial for ordering a hit on fellow drug dealer Kenneth Moore.

Michael Cotter, the U.S. attorney for Montana, said those indicted as part of the drug ring, which began in April, 2012, "sought to exploit the Bakken region’s booming economy, but it was broken up by authorities working to curtail rising crime rates in the oil patch," The Associated Press reports. "Several people who were indicted face potential prison terms of 10 years to life if convicted. . . . At least six of the defendants were charged with possessing 50 grams or more of pure meth and 500 grams or more of a substance containing some amount of meth." (Read more)

Owens was found guilty today in Williams County. The Williston Herald is covering the trial, having reported on it Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. and Friday.