A former Pittsburgh resident pleaded guilty to his part in narcotics trafficking on Thursday, one of 37 defendants charged as part of a multi-state, large-scale investigation by the Greater Pittsburgh Safe Streets Task Force.

According to U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady, John Fedorka, 36, pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy and drug possession charges.

Fedorka admitted to distributing 18 grams of a heroin/fentanyl mixture, having bought it from one of the indicted alleged co-conspirators, Christopher Highsmith of Irwin, and would serve as a middleman for drug transactions according to Justice Department officials.

Last Jan. 17 , Pittsburgh police made a traffic stop on a vehicle in which Fedorka, the front-seat passenger, possessed three bricks of heroin.

Fedorka’s prosecution was the result of an investigation into drug trafficking in the city’s South Side by the Darccide/Smash 44, or DS44, street gang. The task force’s work included a five-month federal wiretap between February and June .

Fedorka is scheduled to be sentenced May 6. He faces up to 30 years in prison and a potential $2 million fine.

The investigation was funded by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program and included multiple federal, state, county and local law enforcement agencies.

Brady said that overall, the 37 defendants are charged with conspiring to distribute and distributing more than a kilogram of heroin, at least 400 grams of fentanyl and fentanyl analogs, cocaine, and crack cocaine from January 2018 through last June .

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