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dents of Montana, Washington and North Dakota, ranging in age from 28 to 49.
• Michael Cotter, the U.S. attorney for Montana, said the drug ring 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. Four more people were arrested and made initial court appearances in North Dakota for similar but unrelated drug offenses, he said.
• Cotter declined to say if the Montana-centered ring was part of a larger network. But he promised more arrests in the future as other criminal investigations continue

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