SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of

Pennsylvania announced that Alnaldo Perez-Rodriguez, 36, of Shenandoah, Schuylkill County, pleaded guilty on Oct. 13, before U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion, to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.

According to U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Perez-Rodriguez admitted to possessing a loaded Walther .380 caliber pistol in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

The charge stems from an incident on Dec. 3, 2021, in Shenandoah, in which state parole agents, members of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force and members of the Schuylkill County Drug Task Force arrested Perez-Rodriguez for a violation of the conditions of his state parole.

Perez-Rodriguez was found in possession of a loaded Walther .380 caliber pistol, an additional 35 rounds of .380 caliber ammunition, packets of fentanyl for distribution, packages of methamphetamine for distribution, and $875 in U.S. currency.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, the Schuylkill County Drug Task Force, state parole agents, and the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. O’Hara is prosecuting the case.

This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make neighborhoods safer for everyone.

Under federal law, Perez-Rodriguez faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, a maximum sentence of life, a term of supervised release and a fine.

A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.