Borough man sentenced to two years in prison for heroin trafficking
Sentinel Staff Reports
SHENANDOAH – A Shenandoah man will spend the next two years and four months in a federal prison, followed by two years’ supervised release after he plead guilty for his role in a heroin trafficking conspiracy.
Derek Yashinsky, 29, of Shenandoah, was sentenced yesterday to 28 months prison time and two years supervised release, the United States Attorney’s Office announced.
According to U.S. Attorney David J. Freed, Yashinsky plead guilt to conspiracy to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin, admitting to distributing the drug and transporting other drug traffickers between Paterson, New Jersey, and Hazleton, Luzerne County, obtaining large quantities of heroin.
The office said Yashinsky was involved in transporting and distributing between 400 and 700 grams of heroin, the equivalent to 16,000 and 28,000 retail bags of heroin. Yashinsky and 11 others were charged as well.
The case was investigated by the FBI, PA State Police, and local police in Schuylkill County.
“This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone,” the U.S. Attorney’s Officce said in a media release. “This case was also brought as part of a district wide 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 to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.”