A man from Passaic County, New Jersey, has been sentenced to 144 months in prison for his involvement in a drug trafficking organization that imported and distributed large quantities of fentanyl analogues and other controlled substances. The announcement was made by Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello.
William Panzera, 53, of North Haledon, was convicted by a jury on charges of drug trafficking conspiracy and international promotional money laundering conspiracy. U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton handed down the sentence in Newark federal court. Eight other individuals connected to the case have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
Court documents show that between January 2014 and September 2020, Panzera and others conspired to import and distribute various drugs, including fentanyl analogues, MDMA, methylone, and ketamine. The group placed orders with suppliers in China and distributed the substances in New Jersey. Some of these drugs were sold as counterfeit pharmaceutical pills containing fentanyl analogues. In total, more than a metric ton of fentanyl-related substances and other drugs were brought into the United States. The organization used wire transfers and Bitcoin to send hundreds of thousands of dollars to China as payment.
In addition to his prison term, Panzera will serve five years of supervised release.
Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello of the New Jersey U.S. Attorney’s Office stated: “Senior Counsel Lamparello credited special agents of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) – Newark, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael S. McCarthy, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.” He also acknowledged assistance from several agencies including U.S. Customs and Border Protection in New Jersey, New York, and Kentucky; HSI Philadelphia; FBI Newark Division; U.S. Postal Inspection Service Newark; IRS-Criminal Investigation; Newark Police Department; and Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.
The prosecution team includes Assistant U.S. Attorney Sammi Malek and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Hasapidis-Sferra from the Criminal Division in Newark as well as Trial Attorney Stephen Sola from the Justice Department’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS). Financial Investigator Kathryn Montemorra supported the investigation.
The case is being prosecuted jointly by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey and MLARS at the Department of Justice.
Defense counsel for William Panzera is Jeffrey G. Garrigan.
