William Panzera, a New Jersey resident, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for his role in trafficking and distributing synthetic drugs related to fentanyl. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Panzera used Bitcoin and bank wire transfers to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to suppliers in China. From 2014 to 2020, Panzera and his accomplices imported large quantities of fentanyl and its analogs from China, distributing them in bulk or as counterfeit pills in New Jersey. Eight co-defendants have already pleaded guilty or been convicted in connection with the case.