Loren Dale Berg Jr., 44, Minot, has been indicted by a grand jury on a federal charge of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl and possession of a firearm by a felon on Sept. 28.

He had originally been charged in district court in Minot but the federal court will now take over prosecution of the case.

According to the probable cause affidavit filed with the district court in the state court case, the Ward County Narcotics Task Force obtained a search warrant for Berg’s residence at 514 11th Avenue NE on Sept. 28. Berg tried to run when the officers entered and was detained and read his rights, according to the affidavit. Officers asked Berg about two safes and Berg acknowledged there were drugs kept inside them. In one safe, officers found four sealed packages of meth, weighing 2,700 grams or approximately one pound combined. Additional packages of meth weighing between 7 and 28 grams each were also located in a bedroom, as were small plastic bags, scales with suspected drug residue, and ledgers consistent with narcotics sales. Also found throughout the house were pipes, smoking devices and containers with suspected drug residue. The second safe contained suspected fentanyl pressed into blocks, weighing a combined 178 grams. Additional plastic bags, each containing one gram of fentanyl, were located, along with smaller baggies. Also found in the safe were several large bags containing marijuana, that weighed a combined 764 grams. Also found in the safe with the fentanyl was $8,960 in cash. A shotgun was also found in a locked cabinet in Berg’s basement. Berg is prohibited from possessing firearms.

A jury trial in the case is scheduled for Feb. 15, 2022 in U.S. District Court in Bismarck.