A Pennsylvania man who was the target of a years-long investigation by both state and federal drug authorities has been convicted of more than 20 drug offenses. He and an alleged accomplice, who was also convicted of several drug crimes, will be sentenced early next year.

According to police reports, the man began operating a drug ring in 2009 while he was serving time at a Pennsylvania Department of Corrections halfway house. In September of that year, an undercover drug detective allegedly made a drug buy from one of the man's distributors. Later, investigators persuaded the distributor to become a witness against the man, most likely in exchange for a reduced drug distribution sentence.

Soon, however, the man shut down his alleged drug ring after he began to suspect that he was under investigation by the FBI and the county drug task force. Investigators had never seen the man with his alleged distributors or personally selling drugs, so they got a court order to tap his telephone. In the recorded conversations, the man never used the names of drugs, but the Pennsylvania attorney general was reportedly able to "decode the conversations." The man has denied that he was talking about drugs in those conversations.

However, after investigators reportedly saw the man meeting with his alleged drug distributors in local stores and parking lots, they arrested him. The man was ultimately charged with and convicted of 21 drug crimes, including making 16 deliveries of heroin and crack cocaine, and conspiracy to possess and deliver the drugs.

Source: Altoona Mirror, "Drug dealer convicted of 21 counts," Phil Ray, Oct. 28, 2011