6/18 ND Experts to Spotlight Human Trafficking, Opioid Addiction Training

ND Experts to Spotlight Human Trafficking, Opioid Addiction at Prairie Knights Casino & Resort Training Program

Fort Yates, ND, June 10, 2025 – If North Dakotans think their communities are immune from human trafficking, the work of the North Dakota Human Trafficking Task Force (NDHTTF) reveals a much different story. On Wednesday, June 18, community members are invited to Prairie Knights Casino & Resort (PKC) to hear experts from the ND Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), the ND Highway Patrol, and Indian Health Services (IHS) share information about human trafficking, reasonable suspicion, and opioid addiction. The program will be held at the PKC Pavilion, 7932 Highway 24,vFort Yates, ND.

“Our task force has investigated more than 280 human trafficking cases and served 760 victims-and counting-over the last 10 years,” notes Analena Lunde, MD, specialist for the Victim Services Unit-Western Region. “We want to help people educate themselves and others about the issue of trafficking and the efforts to stop it.”

PKC will host two identical sessions on June 18:
• Morning: 8:00 AM-11 :15 PM CST
• Afternoon: 1 :00 PM-4:00 PM CST

The training event initially was booked for the casino’s 300+ employees when PKC leadership recognized a bigger opportunity to share the information. In preparation, PKC moved the program from a conference room to the PKC Pavilion where nationally known comedians and recording artists often perform for much larger audiences. “Human trafficking and opioid addiction know no boundaries,” says PKC Human Resources Director Wes Long Feather. “This
information can benefit a much broader audience.”
Speakers also include Victim Services Unit – Eastern Region Specialist Jill Krone; ND Highway Patrol Lieutenant Jenna
Clawson-Huibregtse; BCI Special Agent Mike Woods; and IHS Great Plains Area Clinical Services Director Mark Elhardt, who serves Fort Yates Hospital.

To register, community members may call PKC at 701-854-7714 or send an email to kgreycloud@prairieknights.com, indicating which session they plan to attend.

Prairie Knights Casino & Resort is the region’s premier entertainment destination. Located 46 miles south of Mandan, ND, Prairie Knights features three restaurants, a Lodge with 200 guestrooms, and the 34,000-square-foot Pavilion Event Center. The casino is open 24 hours a day every day of the year and offers 600+ slot machines and a variety of table games. Prairie Knights
Casino & Resort is owned and operated by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.