The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a Monroe County man connected to a heroin trafficking ring that operated in Monroe County and elsewhere during 2012 through March 2015, pleaded guilty before Senior U.S. District Court Judge James M. Munley in Scranton.

According to U.S. Attorney Peter Smith, William Young, 36, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine.Young admitted to traveling to New Jersey on several occasions to obtain a total of more than 80 grams of heroin, which is equivalent to approximately 2,600 retail bags of heroin, for distribution to others in the Monroe County area.Young was indicted by a federal grand jury in Scranton in March 2015 as a result of an investigation by agents of the FBI, investigators from the Pennsylvania State Police, and local police in Monroe County.Judge Munley ordered a presentence investigation to be completed, and scheduled sentencing for April 12. Young faces a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa is prosecuting the case.This case was brought as part of a districtwide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin.Led by the United States Attorney's Office, the heroin initiative targets traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.