Bernard Noland, 39, pleaded guilty in January to drug possession and conspiracy charges. He was originally charged under state jurisdiction and his case was later transferred into federal court.

Noland was arrested in September 2019 after police said they found a handgun in his car and more than 400 oxycodone pills in his motel room.

Noland in January told U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland that he was not a hand-to-hand dealer but profited from the sales by providing an apartment so others could conduct business. He felt he was being cut from the profits and returned to Bismarck straighten out the business arrangement, he told the judge.

Hovland's sentence included credit for time Noland had served since his arrest.