TechFlow News, January 23: Today, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that William Panzera, a 53-year-old resident of North Haledon, New Jersey, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for participating in a drug trafficking and international money laundering conspiracy.
According to court documents, Panzera was a member of a large-scale drug trafficking organization responsible for importing and distributing hundreds of kilograms of fentanyl-related substances in the United States from China. The organization also imported and distributed other drugs, including MDMA, methcathinone, and ketamine, and manufactured counterfeit pills containing fentanyl-related substances. The investigation revealed that the organization smuggled over one metric ton of fentanyl-related substances and other drugs into the United States.
Notably, the organization paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to Chinese suppliers via wire transfers and Bitcoin, constituting international money laundering. Panzera was convicted following a trial in January 2025; eight co-defendants had previously pleaded guilty in related cases.
