A Lehigh County man charged with supplying drugs to a Carbon County drug ring, entered guilty pleas in the county court on Monday and is facing a long state prison term.

Edilberto Ortiz Jr., 42, of Allentown, appeared before Judge Steven R. Serfass to plead to one count each of corrupt organization, criminal conspiracy — possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance. He was originally charged with 11 criminal counts.

Ortiz was charged by the state Attorney General’s office with providing methamphetamine for a drug operation in the county. Ortiz and those who sold the drugs were all arrested in a roundup in 2016.

He appeared before Serfass late last year to enter a plea but instead withdrew the plea and asked for a new attorney.

According to criminal complaints filed by the AG office in support of the charges, investigators identified Ortiz as a main distributor who supplied six people with methamphetamine. Those people later redistributed the drugs to their customers.

Officials said the activity occurred between January and March of 2016.

Investigators used confidential informants for controlled purchases of methamphetamine over the course of the investigation.

More than 4 pounds of methamphetamine were seized from a residence where Ortiz was staying, investigators reported in a criminal complaint.

That search also resulted in the seizure of a .32-caliber handgun, roughly $2,400 and drug paraphernalia.

Searches of other residences resulted in the seizure of various quantities of methamphetamine, cash, digital scales and drug paraphernalia.

Arrested with Ortiz were Susan Rex, 52, of Nesquehoning; Holly Ann Eckhart, 50, of Palmerton; Richard E. Moyer, 57, of Lehighton; Robert David Rex, 58, of Lansford; Connie Serfass, 60, of Lehighton; and Donna Marie Ziegenfuss, 54, of Palmerton.

Most of the defendants have already entered pleas and some have since been sentenced.

Serfass told Ortiz that on the corrupt organization charge, based on state sentencing guidelines, he faces a state prison term of between 27 and 36 months, up to 20 years.

The other two counts carry 60-month prison terms. Serfass told Ortiz the terms can run concurrent or consecutive to each other.

Serfass deferred sentencing and ordered the adult probation office to prepare a presentence investigation report.

Ortiz is currently an inmate in the Lehigh County prison on parole/probation violations.