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The Blood Tribe is hoping a new bylaw prohibiting trespassing by non-band members will help stem the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs onto the reserve.

Blood Tribe Police will remove or charge people found trespassing on the southern Alberta reserve beginning April 13, the band said in a release Wednesday.

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“The Blood Tribe council has taken active steps to minimize the impacts of fentanyl and other drug related activities on the Blood reserve . . . One of the steps has been to enact the Kainai/Blood Tribe Trespass Bylaw and Regulations to deal with the ongoing concerns with respect to persons entering on the Blood reserve for purposes related to the unlawful use and distribution of drugs,” the band said in a statement.

While it has always been illegal to trespass on a reserve under the Indian Act, the new bylaw provides a detailed schedule of entry and residency permits.

All non-band members, including employees of the band, contractors, business people and hunters, will be required to obtain entry permits to demonstrate they are authorized to be on the reserve.