John Marsh 
A 65-year-old Huntington Beach man, the elder of a father-son pair who distributed drugs sold over the dark web, was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in federal prison for his role in what the U.S. attorney’s office called a methamphetamine ring.
William Thomas Glarner III had faced a minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison, prosecutors said.
Glarner was arrested in March after federal investigators said he deposited two packages containing a combined 121.4 grams of methamphetamine at a Los Alamitos post office and a Cypress FedEx location on Jan. 19, according to court documents.
A March 14 search of Glarner’s car uncovered a duffel bag containing more than three pounds of a white substance that authorities later determined was meth. The trunk contained digital scales, used plastic wrap, unused plastic baggies and latex gloves, all noted as “materials consistent with the packaging and distribution of narcotics,” according to a probable-cause statement by a Department of Homeland Security investigator.
On June 6, a federal jury in Santa Ana convicted Glarner of two counts of attempted distribution of methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute the drug, court records show.
Glarner’s son William “Billy” Glarner IV, 34, of Irvine pleaded guilty June 17 to one count of distribution of methamphetamine.
The younger Glarner admitted in a plea agreement that he obtained drugs from various suppliers and mailed them to dark-web customers via the U.S. Postal Service and commercial shipping services, prosecutors said.
The elder Glarner was nabbed as part of an investigation into his son’s activities. He acted as the mailer for the meth distribution, according to prosecutors.
The younger Glarner is scheduled for sentencing Nov. 4. He also faces a minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life in federal prison.
Full Statement By USAO
SANTA ANA, California – A Huntington Beach man was sentenced today to 180 months in federal prison for being part of a father-and-son crew that illegally distributed methamphetamine on one of the world’s largest darknet marketplaces.
William Thomas Glarner III, 65, was sentenced by United States District Judge David O. Carter, who said that Glarner had “earned” his sentence and had “spent a lifetime” working his way to federal prison.
After a four-day trial, a federal jury in June found Glarner guilty of three methamphetamine distribution-related charges. Glarner was observed mailing packages of methamphetamine, including one to a darknet customer, according to evidence presented at trial. A search warrant executed on March 14 on Glarner and his vehicle resulted in the seizure of more than 1.4 kilograms (3.1 pounds) of methamphetamine.
The term “darknet” refers to computer networks that utilize some of the Internet, but provide greater anonymity, allowing vendors to sell goods and services – such as illegal drug sales – often in exchange for virtual currency.
Glarner was identified as part of an overall investigation into the darknet activity of his son, William Thomas Glarner IV, a.k.a. “Billy,” 34, of Irvine, who pleaded guilty on June 17 to one felony count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The elder Glarner acted as a mailer of drugs for his son’s methamphetamine distribution operation.
Glarner IV admitted in his plea agreement that he used at least three monikers to obscure his true identity on the darknet, including on the “Tor” darknet browser, where he conducted more than 1,500 sales of controlled substances, including methamphetamine.
Glarner IV admitted he obtained drugs from various sources, and along with others, mailed drugs to darknet customers nationwide by using such services as the United States Postal Service and commercial couriers. A search warrant executed at his residence and on his car on March 14 resulted in law enforcement officials recovering 2.5 kilograms (5.5 pounds) of methamphetamine, court papers state. Glarner IV admitted that some of this methamphetamine was packaged for purposes of distribution for orders placed on the darknet.
Glarner IV is scheduled to be sentenced on November 4, at which time he will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison.
This case was investigated by U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Postal Inspection Service. The La Habra Police Department assisted with the investigation as did the Costa Mesa Police Department, the Brea Police Department, the Cypress Police Department, and the Cass County Drug Task Force of North Dakota. This investigation was conducted with the support of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).
This matter is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Puneet V. Kakkar and Kathy Yu of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section.
