The U.S. attorney's office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a 50-year-old Shenandoah resident connected to a large-scale heroin trafficking ring that operated in Schuylkill County during 2012 through September 2015, pleaded guilty Tuesday before Senior U.S. District Court Judge James M. Munley in Scranton.

According to U.S. Attorney Peter Smith, Paul Jadus pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin. Jadus admitted to distributing heroin and allowing his residence in Shenandoah to be used as a "stash house" to store drugs and money for co-conspirators. Jadus was involved in storing and distributing more than 700 grams of heroin, which is equivalent to more than 23,000 retail bags of heroin.Jadus was indicted by a federal grand jury in Scranton in September 2015 as a result of an investigation by agents of the FBI, investigators from the Pennsylvania State Police and local police in Schuylkill County.Judge Munley ordered a presentence investigation to be completed, and scheduled sentencing for April 15. Jadus faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a potential maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa is prosecuting the cases.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 heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.