The arrests Friday of two Honolulu residents accused of distributing fentanyl that allegedly killed two people highlights how the drug primarily is arriving in Hawaii through post offices and other delivery services.
“The primary mechanism of getting illicit drugs — whether it’s fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin and even marijuana into Hawaii — is by our parcel delivery systems,” said Gary Yabuta, director of the federal Hawaii High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. “That’s UPS, FedEx and U.S. Postal.”
Such was the case for the drugs involved in the mass overdose that occurred earlier this month at the Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort, resulting in the deaths of two men, one from Hawaii Island.
Two arrests have been made in connection to the deaths, according to a federal criminal complaint filed Monday.
Avery Garrard and Keina Drageset of Honolulu were taken into custody Friday, and are each charged with conspiring with each other and others to distribute fentanyl that resulted in death, according to the complaint.
Those who died in the suspected overdose were Joseph Iseke, 44, of Oahu, and Steven Berengue, 53, of Kailua-Kona.
As of Tuesday, the Honolulu medical examiner’s office hadn’t determined a specific cause of death for either man.
According to the affidavit, first responders were called to the Outrigger hotel on June 4, where one man was found dead, two other men were in critical condition, and two women were in serious condition.
The current condition of the three other unidentified victims remains unknown.
Investigators with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration spoke to the three survivors who said they met at a concert and went back to the hotel to do drugs, according to the complaint.
They allegedly told DEA investigators they believed the drugs were cocaine and/or MDMA, and that all three snorted the substance without knowing it possibly contained fentanyl.
“That Outrigger tragedy got everybody concerned once again,” said Hawaii Island Fentanyl Task Force Leader Kimo Alameda. “The victims were just everyday people, they were going to a concert and wanted to have some extra fun, and that’s how it turned out.”
Also found at the scene, according to the complaint, were a glass pipe with a baggie of what appeared to be crystal methamphetamine and a baggie of what appeared to be black-tar heroin.
“We’re seeing a rise in fentanyl, but we’re also seeing a rise in polydrug deaths,” Yabuta said, referring to fentanyl being mixed into other substances. “There’s cocaine and fentanyl, but primarily, we’re seeing in our emergency departments and in our mental health clinics more and more methamphetamine and fentanyl polydrug combination deaths and cases.”
An investigation involving one of the victim’s cellphones provided two potential sources for the drugs via a text message exchange about the drug deal.
The two unnamed sources, who have not yet been charged, cooperated with federal officials and claimed their sole suppliers were Garrard and Drageset.
A source said that “Garrard’s girlfriend was the ‘brains of the operation’ and knew about the fentanyl distribution,” according to the complaint.
During a search of Drageset’s apartment, DEA and FBI investigators said they found 500 grams of fentanyl, an unlisted amount of methamphetamine, and a safe filled with $100,000 in cash.
Also found by investigators was a laptop logged onto the “Dark Web” with “multiple marketplaces saved for ordering narcotics.”
“We’re seeing a lot of that, especially with our youth,” Yabuta said of online purchases. “On the Big Island, there was a 14-year-old girl who lost her life, who thought she was purchasing cocaine on the online sources, and it turned out to be fentanyl and resulted in her death.”
An investigation found that since March 2023, five parcels were sent from Southern California to Drageset’s apartment using USPS Priority Mail or Priority Mail Express, and were suspected to contain illegal narcotics.
The couple was later arrested outside Drageset’s white Tesla, which the feds also allege had fentanyl in it.
According to the Associated Press, Jacquelyn Esser, Drageset’s attorney, and Neal Kugiya, an attorney representing Garrard, declined to comment before an initial appearance for the pair scheduled for Tuesday.
“Primarily, we get our drugs here in Hawaii from the West Coast,” Yabuta said. “California remains to be our biggest connection as far as drug transportation and distribution.”
California also was the source of a fentanyl-related arrest this week of a Puna man who was charged with attempted distribution of fentanyl and attempted possession of fentanyl and PCP.
District Court documents state Guy Harper, 46, received a postal parcel at the Keaau Post Office from Costa Mesa, Calif., that contained the drugs hidden in hollowed out wax candles.
The probe into Garrard and Drageset has potentially exposed a fentanyl distribution ring in the islands, according to the criminal complaint, which states the two “did knowingly and intentionally conspire with each other and with others” who are both “known and unknown to law enforcement” to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a substance containing fentanyl.
As a result, agencies across the islands are continuing to work together to address the increasing fentanyl-related deaths, which have risen from 48 in 2021 to 79 in 2022, according to Yabuta.
“It’s a combination of state, federal and local law enforcement working together and going interisland and working together in operations that could detail from Oahu to Maui to Kauai to the Big Island,” Yabuta said. “That type of cooperation has been going on for the past 50 years in Hawaii. …That’s the aloha spirit of Hawaii law enforcement.”
In a statement, Honolulu Police Chief Arthur “Joe” Logan said: “This complaint illustrates the seriousness of fentanyl and also highlights the effectiveness of interagency investigations in going after those who sell and profit from the deadly drug. HPD will continue to work with our partners at all levels to stop those who engage in illegal drug activity and put public lives at risk.”
Email Grant Phillips at gphillips@hawaiitribune-herald.com.