Passaic Man Sentenced to 12 Years for Trafficking Fentanyl and Laundering Money

William Panzera was convicted of trafficking fentanyl analogues and laundering payments through Bitcoin and wire transfers to Chinese suppliers.

A Passaic County resident has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for his role in a large-scale international drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracy involving fentanyl analogues and other synthetic drugs, federal authorities announced.

William Panzera, 53, of North Haledon, was sentenced on January 23, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton in Newark federal court. A jury previously convicted Panzera of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to commit international promotional money laundering. In addition to his 144-month prison sentence, Panzera will serve five years of supervised release.

According to federal prosecutors, from January 2014 to September 2020, Panzera participated in a criminal organization that imported and distributed a range of synthetic drugs—including fentanyl analogues, MDMA, methylone, and ketamine—throughout New Jersey. The organization sourced the drugs from China, making payments using wire transfers and Bitcoin.

The trafficked substances were distributed both in bulk and in counterfeit pill form, often disguised as legitimate pharmaceuticals but containing fentanyl analogues. The operation imported more than a metric ton of fentanyl-related substances and other synthetic drugs into the United States during the scheme’s duration.

The case is part of a broader investigation in which eight other individuals have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Authorities stated that Panzera and his co-conspirators used cryptocurrency and international money transfers to finance and conceal their illegal activity.

The investigation involved a multi-agency task force coordinated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Newark, with support from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection offices in New Jersey, New York, and Kentucky, HSI Philadelphia, the FBI Newark Division, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, IRS-Criminal Investigation, Newark Police Department, and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.

The case is being jointly prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey and the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS) of the U.S. Department of Justice. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sammi Malek, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Hasapidis-Sferra, and Trial Attorney Stephen Sola of MLARS led the prosecution, with financial investigative support provided by Kathryn Montemorra of MLARS's Special Financial Investigations Unit.

This sentencing underscores ongoing efforts by federal authorities to disrupt the importation and domestic distribution of fentanyl and its analogues—substances that have contributed to a national overdose crisis—while also targeting the financial networks that enable these operations.