Number of suspects in Williston heroin ring now up to 6

WILLISTON, N.D. (AP) - Authorities in Williston are searching for a sixth suspect in a Chicago-based heroin ring that has been linked to a recent string of overdoses, including one that was fatal, in the western North Dakota oil patch hub.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Mariah Slater, 21, of Williston. She's wanted on a felony drug conspiracy charge that carries a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, the Williston Herald reported (http://bit.ly/1TvmB3F ).

Court documents do not list an attorney for Slater, and a home telephone listing could not be found.

Authorities earlier charged five men from Williston and Chicago in the alleged drug ring. One of those suspects hasn't been taken into custody yet. Those who have been arrested could enter pleas next month to the same felony conspiracy charge that Slater faces.

Authorities allege that the ring distributed a pure form of heroin laced with the powerful painkiller fentanyl to make it more potent. Overdoses last month killed one person and sent nine others to the hospital over an eight-day period.

The man who died was 30 years old. Authorities have identified him. The others who overdosed range in age from 25 to 45. They all have since been released from the hospital.

Williston police, an area drug task force and the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation are investigating the case.

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Information from: Williston Herald, http://www.willistonherald.com