Polson Police Chief George Simpson and Tribal Police Chief Couture partnered with two Tribal Police Drug Investigators, Will Mesteth and Vern Fisher, to provide an overview of drug trends in the community.

“Vern and I are the only two dedicated drug investigators in our area,” Mesteth said. 

He began his law enforcement career working in the jail for a year and a half, then moved to patrol.

He said, “I saw a need for our department to be proactive and interactive on the street level …”

So he took specific training for street-level drug work.

Fisher has been on the Northwest Montana Drug Force since 2017 and on the tribal police force since 1993.

The two officers patrol together. They have worked many cases with the Kalispell Drug Task Force and the Missoula Drug Task Force; Homeland Security and federal attorneys, as well as the FBI, are contacts for federal cases. They also work with the Lake County Sheriff’s Department and the Polson, Ronan, and Mission police. 

The trend in drugs on the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Reservation and in Lake County began with methamphetamine, which “has been here since I’ve been here,” Mesteth said.

The two said meth came first, then heroin, then fentanyl, then fentanyl powder, and now “an uptick of methamphetamine.”

A lot of meth comes from Washington state, according to Mesteth and Fisher. They talked about fentanyl heavily due to the amount they’d dealt with it, and due to the number of people who die using fentanyl.

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid developed for pain management, Fisher said. “It’s 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine.”

Fentanyl can also be made illegally. Just a small amount can kill a person — 2 milligrams. The cartels manufacture the fentanyl pills or make farmers or other workers make them. They look exactly like oxycodone and weigh 0.1 of an ounce. 

Physical symptoms of fentanyl are: pinpoint pupils, drowsiness or sedation, respiratory issues, nausea and vomiting and constipation. 

Fentanyl addiction is particularly dangerous due to the high risk of overdose. Even a small amount can be lethal, such as 2 grams, especially when mixed with other substances. 

Overdose symptoms include: loss of consciousness, unresponsiveness, extremely slow or stopped breathing, cold, clammy skin and blue or gray skin.                                 

What to do in an emergency situation: call 911, administer Narcan, keep them awake and turn the individual on their side. 

The two detectives discussed some of their cases without using names; first, they witnessed small amounts of fentanyl pills and then thousands in the drug's heyday. One dealer sold 70,000 pills in seven months and made a wad of cash, $200,000. 

According to detectives, drug users say that rehab for fentanyl is the very worst — sweating, cramping all over, diarrhea and vomiting.

Mesteth said to be aware of what’s happening in your neighborhood, such as many cars visiting a particular house for just a few minutes; a car visiting once or twice a month or lots of people hanging around the house. 

Mesteth and Fisher gave out their phone numbers. A citizen who sees something odd regarding drugs or drug use, please call either of them. Mesteth can be reached at 406-270-4077 and Vern Fisher at 406-249-6014.