Noah Figliolino, 22, Minot, is charged in district court in Minot with Class A felony intent to deliver about 70 grams or more of fentanyl in Minot on Thursday. He is also charged with Class B felony manufacture of marijuana, Class C felony possession of drug paraphernalia, and Class C felony felon in possession of a firearm. Figliolino was allegedly in possession of a handgun when he was arrested.

Figliolino made an initial appearance on the charges on Friday before Judge Todd Cresap, who set bond at $150,000 cash or corporate surety.

Ward County Assistant State’s Attorney John Gonzalez told the judge that Figliolino was out on bond on a Class B felony charge of possession with intent to deliver heroin, dating back to Nov. 24, when he was arrested on the new charge on Thursday. Figliolino is set to go to trial March 2 in another case on charges of Class B felony delivery of methamphetamine and Class B felony conspiracy to deliver methamphetamine, dated back to Dec. 10, 2019. As a felon, he is not permitted to possess a firearm. He has 2016 convictions for two counts of Class C felony possession of a controlled substance and for Class B felony delivery of ecstasy and a 2018 Class C felony aggravated assault conviction for shooting a young woman in the knee and wounding her in August 2017.

Fentanyl is at least 50 times more potent than heroin and far more lethal. Police have said the drug was a contributing factor in many of the 16 overdose deaths and 90 overdose incidents in the city last year. Cresap remarked at Friday’s hearing that there are eight people currently in custody at the Ward County Jail on murder charges, many of them connected in some way with guns and/or drugs and judges must take any situation involving a gun and drugs seriously.