Former Pittsburgh man pleads guilty to 2017 federal heroin charge from Lincoln-Lemington

A former Pittsburgh man has pleaded guilty to a federal heroin charge stemming from a 2017 arrest at the site of an alleged fentanyl lab in the city’s Lincoln-Lemington section.

Dezmen Hicks, 33, formerly of Inwood Street, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin Tuesday in front of Chief U.S. District Court Judge Mark R. Hornak in Pittsburgh.

Hicks, who has been detained since his initial appearance in federal court on July 20, 2017, faces sentencing Jan. 20.

According to information provided to the court, Hicks fled into a nearby house when Pittsburgh police attempted to approach him in connection with a 911 call on July 19, 2017, in the 6000 block of Auburn Street. Following him into the house, officers saw Hicks attempting to hide a blue bag in the freezer section of a refrigerator.

The bag was recovered and found to contain about 25 “bricks,” or 1,250 packets, of heroin, according to court documents.

During a search of the home, city police and federal Drug Enforcement Agency Special Agents and task force officers found a large-scale fentanyl production lab in the basement and various narcotics, numerous firearms, currency and drug packaging and branding material throughout the house, the documents state.

Hicks faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $2 million fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy M. Lanni is prosecuting the case.

Federal charges are pending against two co-defendants who fled from the basement of the home, according to police.