A recent northern Minnesota meth sales investigation led to two arrests, the seizure of about 16 ounces of meth and the recovery of nine firearms, four of them stolen.

The bust unfolded Tuesday evening, March 31, in Unincorporated Township 56-17.

Members of the Lake Superior Violent Offender Task Force stopped a vehicle around 7 p.m. in the 2700 block of Highway 53 as part of an ongoing meth sales investigation. Two people were inside: Jason Nordin and Nathan Starkey.

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Both were detained and a search warrant was executed on the vehicle. Inside, task force members found about 452 grams, or 15.94 ounces, of methamphetamine along with a digital scale and drug packaging materials. Nordin and Starkey were arrested and booked into the Saint Louis County Jail on first-degree sale of methamphetamine.

After the arrests, a second search warrant was executed at Nordin’s residence in the 300 block of East Seventh Street in Duluth. Members of the U.S. Marshals Service, the Lake Superior Violent Offender Task Force, the Duluth Police Department and the Saint Louis County Sheriff’s Office carried out the search. Nine firearms were seized, four of which were stolen.

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Additional meth, psilocybin mushrooms, drug packaging and digital scales were also recovered, authorities say.

Nordin and Starkey were arraigned Friday, April 3, in Saint Louis County District Court on first-degree sale of methamphetamine. Bail was set at $100,000 for each suspect.

The firearms case remains under investigation. First-degree sale of methamphetamine carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.