A Romanian national has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for his involvement in a large-scale drug trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. Marius Lazar, 51, from Bucharest, Romania, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone in the Eastern District of Texas on January 15, 2025.
Lazar was found guilty of conspiring to traffic over 400 kilograms of cocaine from the United States as part of a scheme that included money laundering, arms trafficking, and attempted murder of rival gang members. "According to court documents and evidence presented at trial," Lazar was identified as a "founding member" of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club's local chapter in Romania. He conspired with another Hells Angels member from New Zealand to acquire cocaine from an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent posing as a drug trafficker.
During negotiations for the cocaine purchase, Lazar solicited the undercover agent to kill two rival motorcycle club members in Romania. He also offered military-grade equipment such as rifles and grenades, which he believed would be used against U.S. police officers. The conspirators transferred nearly $1 million via bank wires and Bitcoin as payment for drugs and murders.
On November 17, 2023, a federal jury convicted Lazar of multiple charges including conspiracy to commit racketeering and conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States.
The investigation involved multiple agencies: DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Marshals Service, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Rapp for the Eastern District of Texas led the prosecution alongside Assistant U.S. Attorney Conor Mulroe and VCRS Trial Attorney Jared Engelking.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs collaborated with Romanian law enforcement for Lazar's arrest and extradition.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation aimed at dismantling high-level criminal organizations threatening the United States through coordinated efforts among various law enforcement agencies.
Co-defendants Murray Michael Matthews and Marc Patrick Johnson remain fugitives.