Terrell Jermaine Williams, Synthetic Cathinone Importation, Florida 2025

MIAMI – Terrell Jermaine Williams, 40, pleaded guilty today to drug-trafficking offenses related to the importation of N-Isopropyl Butylone, a Schedule I drug and synthetic cathinone, from China into the U.S. for distribution in South Florida.

According to court documents, Williams conspired with a China-based drug distributor to import controlled substances into the U.S. for distribution in Miami. The conspiracy began in or around 2022 and continued through 2025.

“This defendant worked with a supplier overseas to bring a dangerous synthetic drug into South Florida and profit from its distribution,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Synthetic cathinones—often referred to on the street as ‘bath salts’ or ‘flakka’—are powerful and unpredictable stimulants that pose a serious threat to public safety. Our Office will continue working with the Homeland Security Task Force and our federal, local, and international partners to stop these trafficking pipelines and prevent dangerous narcotics from reaching our communities.”

To facilitate the scheme, Williams communicated with the Chinese distributor through a mobile-based messaging platform. In a message dated November 3, 2023, the distributor encouraged Williams to stock up on the substance before it was banned so he could charge higher prices when it became unavailable to others.

In another conversation in April 2024, the distributor warned Williams, “its election year there , they check more frequently than before, you know firearms and drugs from china.”

Williams pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import N-Isopropyl Butylone into the U.S. and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute N-Isopropyl Butylone. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison on each count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones, Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of HSI Miami, and Inspector in Charge Bladismir Rojo of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Miami Division, made the announcement.

HSI Miami, HSI Guangzhou, USPIS, and the Homestead Police Department are investigating the case. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, and City of Miami Police Department provided invaluable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Monique Botero is prosecuting the case.

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