Thomas Padovano was sentenced Tuesday to more than 19 years in prison for leading a six-year fentanyl trafficking conspiracy tied to a trailer hub on Delancey Street in Newark. Prosecutors said he imported fentanyl analogues from China, pressed them into count
A nondescript trailer on Delancey Street in Newark became a business model for death—one that operated for six years and, prosecutors said, shipped opioids across New Jersey through overdoses that followed in its wake.
On Tuesday, federal court turned that nightmare into a sentence. Thomas Padovano, 52, received more than 19 years in prison for leading a drug trafficking conspiracy that imported fentanyl analogues from China, pressed them into counterfeit prescription pills, and distributed them across the state.
The scheme, federal prosecutors said and court records reflect, ran across multiple countries and methods. Drug runs to Panama were tied to ketamine. wire transfers to China were used to buy fentanyl analogues. and a pill press ordered from the UK helped convert chemicals into tablets designed to look like commercial opioids. Court filings describe a trailer operation that packed, stored, and distributed the drugs from that location.
Prosecutors said the crew paid China for bulk shipments of analogues—sometimes $20,000 at a time. Those shipments arrived in large barrels through air freight at a Lodi company that was ostensibly set up to receive floor-cleaning products. A pill press purchased from a UK supplier then turned the chemicals into blue tablets, according to court records.
The operation moved more than fentanyl. Records show distribution of methylone, MDMA, and ketamine as well. Prosecutors also said the group adjusted the fentanyl concentration in the pills over time, which they linked to one or more overdoses between 2016 and 2020.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva said Thomas Padovano “led a drug trafficking organization that imported and distributed massive amounts of dangerous opioids in New Jersey. and then he laundered the profits.” He added that “These illegal narcotics destroy families and wreak havoc in the community.”.
The punishment also captured a family dimension. Prosecutors said the conspiracy involved Thomas Padovano’s father, Bartholomew Padovano, who handled much of the supply chain. Court records describe Bartholomew Padovano buying kilogram quantities of pill-binding material from the same UK company. laundering drug money through a web of bank accounts—including accounts connected to relatives—and. at times. forging a family member’s signature on checks to pull cash without their knowledge. Prosecutors also said the trailer hub used in the operation belonged to him.
Both men pleaded guilty in December 2024. Under Thomas Padovano’s plea deal, he agreed to sell his Plainfield condo and hand over the first $300,000 in proceeds. The plea included a hard deadline of December 13, 2024, and came with an unusual condition: his father had to plead guilty too.
U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer said, “Today’s sentence sends an important reminder: those who profit from trafficking deadly drugs and laundering the proceeds of their crimes will be held accountable.”
Bartholomew Padovano, however, hasn’t been sentenced yet. His case was delayed earlier this year after his attorney cited a hospitalization. and a status conference is scheduled for June 30. “The reality of Mr. Padavano’s circumstance is that he is in firm and unwell,” said Christopher Adams, his attorney. He added that the defendant’s “age and medical condition are a serious consideration as we approach his pending sentence date. ” and said he could not elaborate further because “these issues will be addressed in court.”.
Thomas Padovano’s sentence was also marked by delay. He received the maximum under the plea agreement: 234 months. Sentencing was postponed seven times over more than a year and briefly delayed again in March after a dispute over his legal representation. That dispute was transferred to Chief Judge Matthew W. Brann of the Middle District of Pennsylvania before being sent back to Newark.
Charles Kennedy, Thomas Padovano’s attorney, told the court, “Thomas has always been a dedicated family man who loves his children,” adding, “Neither his sentence nor anything else will ever change that.”
Thomas Padovano Bartholomew Padovano fentanyl ring Newark trailer Delancey Street Plainfield condo counterfeit prescription pills fentanyl analogues methylone MDMA ketamine drug trafficking conspiracy money laundering UK pill press Lodi company China wire transfers
19 years sounds like not enough for killing people honestly.
Wait so it was like a trailer on Delancey St??? I lived kinda near Newark and I’m just shocked. Also fentanyl from China… is that really still coming in like that?
So they pressed pills in a trailer and shipped to NJ, but aren’t prescriptions supposed to be regulated? Kinda confusing bc they said counterfeit pills, but also it sounds like he used a pill press ordered from the UK so like, blame UK too? I dunno, just feels like everyone has a hand in it.
They say it caused overdoses 2016 to 2020 but like how many were actually proven? I keep seeing these cases and it’s always China and analogues and air freight… meanwhile my cousin swears fentanyl is mostly from pharmacies. Maybe I’m just old but the whole “trailer hub” thing makes me think it was way more than one person, 19 years is still like… what, they’ll be out before the worst memories even fade.