ST. PAUL — One of the four men accused of keeping a “stash house” for a Mexican drug cartel in St. Paul has pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine.

Prosecutors said Tuesday that 19-year-old Antonio Navarro entered the plea in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, clearing the way for the state to proceed on charges that include kidnapping, assault and robbery.

Navarro and the three other men are accused of kidnapping and torturing two Minneapolis teens they suspected of stealing drugs and money from the house.

Court documents say the defendants released the victims after determining they didn’t know what happened to the drugs and money, but not before nearly severing one teen’s finger with a scissors as they were interrogating him.