Fracking Hell

In Williston, North Dakota, an oil mining boom has brought tens of thousands of blue-collar workers to this once sleepy town. But the 21st century ‘black gold rush’ has also attracted black market operators into town. Motorcycle gangs extort Williston’s bars and strip clubs, while pimps net millions from prostitution. But with the oil boom going bust, criminals must adapt. Laid-off oil workers are becoming this underworld’s most resourceful criminals. Fueling the problem: drugs. Meth-related crime is up 78%. Williston’s law-breaking is now migrating to nearby Fort Berthold Tribal Reservation, where a 12-man police department is inheriting crime brought by 4,000 non-native Americans onto their land from the oil field.