Chief U.S. District Judge Derrick K. Watson sentenced Drew Allen Ward, 44, to 151 months in federal prison for a conspiracy involving fentanyl and heroin. Ward also must serve five years of supervised release, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Federal charges and sentencing exposure
A federal grand jury indicted Ward on May 18, 2023, on charges of distributing fentanyl and heroin and conspiring to distribute and possess both drugs with intent to distribute. He was arrested in Washington on May 9, 2023, and later held at the Federal Detention Center in Honolulu. Ward pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge, the Star-Advertiser and Courthouse News Service reported.
The case involved about 480 grams of fentanyl, or roughly one pound, in addition to heroin. Prosecutors said packages were linked to Ward, who had been living in Edgewood, Washington, and that shipments moved from Washington state and Nevada to Hawaiʻi, according to the Star-Advertiser and Courthouse News Service. Under 21 U.S.C. § 841, a conspiracy involving at least 400 grams of a fentanyl mixture carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison, along with the possibility of a $10 million fine.
Evidence and criminal history
The investigation used a confidential human source who was a convicted felon and received $3,000, according to the Star-Advertiser. The source purchased drugs from Ward, wired payments to his bank account and told investigators that Ward used Signal to coordinate transactions. A criminal complaint dated May 5, 2023, identified Ward as a mainland distributor connected to drug activity in Maui.
The Star-Advertiser reported that Ward sold more than 400 grams of fentanyl and supplied heroin, with most of the transactions described in the case involving the government’s confidential source. Court-related reporting also said Ward has 11 prior state convictions, including five felony drug convictions in Hawaiʻi.
Statewide overdose context
According to the Hawaiʻi Department of Health, the state recorded 360 unintentional or undetermined overdose deaths and 7,102 non-fatal emergency department discharges related to overdose in 2024, the most recent full year of statewide data.
State response to the overdose crisis
The Hawaiʻi Department of Health’s Opioid Settlement Project, launched in 2023, manages the state’s opioid settlement trust fund and provides public dashboards on opioid-related harms, settlement funds and naloxone distribution, according to the department. National opioid settlement agreements are expected to provide Hawaiʻi with annual payments through 2038. The department’s Hawaiʻi Overdose Initiative reports that unintentional drug overdose fatalities rose from 252 in 2021 to 360 in 2024, an increase of about 42.9%. The Hawaiʻi Overdose Initiative was launched in January 2025 to coordinate a statewide response to substance-related overdoses and deaths.
Defense position
Benjamin E. Lowenthal, Ward’s attorney at sentencing, sought a sentence of 10 years or less. Filings described by the Star-Advertiser argued that the record did not show Ward supervised other participants. The defense also linked his opioid addiction to accidents and injuries and cited difficult circumstances during his childhood.
Ward apologized for harming the community and said he hoped to rebuild his relationship with his three children, according to the Star-Advertiser’s account of his letter to the court. Watson nevertheless imposed the 151-month sentence.
