Duluth gets United States Prosecutor to Address Drug Crimes

The City of Duluth will work with a United States Prosecutor to target the rise of opioid-related overdoses in the area.

In a press conference earlier this week, United States Attorney Andrew Luger announced that Nichole Carter would be the first United States Minnesota State Attorney to be located outside the capital. Carter will help target drug trafficking in Duluth, which has seen a particularly sharp rise compared to other areas in the state.

According to a Northern News Now report, Luger specified that Duluth has become a favorable market for drug traffickers because the drugs can be sold for more money and there isn’t as much violent competition as there is in other markets. Officials hope that adding Carter’s position will serve as a warning to those involved in drug trafficking in St. Louis County.

According to health data, 61 people died of overdoses in St. Louis County in 2023. There were 663 overdoses overall.

The announcement was made alongside the announced indictment of eight individuals relating to a drug trafficking conspiracy in the Duluth area. 35 year old Matthew James Erickson of Duluth was indicted along with seven Chicago natives on charges of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and meth.

The indictments were a result of an investigation led by the Lake Superior Violent Offender Task Force with help from other law enforcement agencies in the region. Court records accuse the group of distributing drugs throughout the Twin Ports from December 2021 to February 2024. The Task Force reportedly seized large quantities of fentanyl and meth during the investigation.