FORT WORTH, Texas – A Fort Worth resident was arrested and indicted in a federal case involving the alleged sale of equipment used to manufacture illicit drugs, according to a U.S. Department of Justice press release.
On September 9, 2026, Drug Enforcement Administration agents arrested Michael Christian Packard, 36, of Fort Worth, Texas; Alastair Mark Sanderson, 39, of Overland Park, Kansas; and William Robert Norris, 43, of Westworth Village, Texas. Sanderson and Norris are identified as principal managers of LFA Machines DFW, LLC, while Packard is described as a former long-time employee.
LFA Machines, based in Fort Worth, sells tableting machines and a binding agent called Firmapress.
Prosecutors allege that the defendants conspired to sell these products to customers knowing or having reasonable cause to believe they would be used to manufacture controlled substances. The release notes that the distribution of such equipment is regulated under federal law. Federal investigators recovered LFA products from multiple clandestine labs across the United States during a multi-year investigation.
On August 21, a federal grand jury in Tucson, Arizona, returned a six-count indictment against LFA Machines and the three individuals. The charges include conspiracy to unlawfully manufacture, distribute, export, and import tableting machines and chemicals, as well as counts for unlawfully distributing chemicals and tableting machines. Each count carries a maximum penalty of four years in prison and fines up to $250,000 for individuals.
