MIAMI, Fla. (CBS12) — A South Florida man pleaded guilty to importing thousands of pounds of bath salts from China to distribute across the state.
Federal prosecutors say 40-year-old Terrell Jermaine Williams of Miami conspired with a distributor from 2022 through 2025 to import N-Isopropyl Butylone, more commonly known on the street as “bath salts” or “flakka.”
According to court documents, Williams communicated with the supplier in China through WhatsApp to arrange shipments of the substance into the U.S. for sale in the Miami area.
In one message from November 2023, the distributor urged Williams to stock up on the drug before it became banned so he could charge higher prices once supplies tightened. In another message in April 2024, the distributor warned that authorities were checking shipments more frequently during the election year.
See also: Bicyclist struck, trapped under vehicle in Royal Palm Beach; airlifted as Trauma Alert
Investigators later shared intelligence with Homeland Security Investigations in Guangzhou, China, which coordinated with Chinese law enforcement.
In September 2025, authorities there seized about 700 kilograms of N-Isopropyl Butylone headed to the United States.
Chinese officials later determined the substance had no legitimate use and placed it under regulatory control.
Williams pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import the drug into the United States and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute it. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison on each count.
National Headline
