Federal prosecutors are seeking to keep Preston Tyler Shinew in custody before trial on a charge of possessing drugs with intent to distribute. Shinew, 36, pleaded not guilty after a federal grand jury indicted him on Oct. 15 in connection with an alleged July 13 transaction; he was arrested on the resulting warrant on Nov. 5, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Federal court records, as described by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, say Honolulu Police Department officers saw what appeared to be a drug transaction in a 7-11 parking lot before Shinew left on a motorbike. The convenience store’s surveillance system recorded the encounter, according to the report. A crossbody bag tied to Shinew was later found to contain 37.5 grams of fentanyl and a manilla envelope holding $1,250 in cash, court records say.
Arrested Again With a Ghost Gun in the Back Seat
The Star-Advertiser reported that Shinew was arrested on the federal warrant on Nov. 5 while riding as a passenger in a vehicle driven by his girlfriend. A bag belonging to him, found on the back seat, contained an unloaded ghost gun, a loaded ammunition magazine and more fentanyl, according to federal court records cited by the paper. Records also describe a trunk bag containing distributable quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine. The driver was found with a separate bag containing $7,000 in cash and illegal drugs, the report said.
Statewide overdose figures
The available figures are statewide rather than Honolulu-specific. According to the Hawai‘i Overdose Initiative, deaths involving illegally made fentanyl alone, without other opioids or stimulants, declined from 43 in 2023 to 28 in 2024. Separately, unintentional drug overdose fatalities statewide rose from 252 in 2021 to 360 in 2024; that is an all-drug measure, not a fentanyl-specific count.
Shinew was free on bond in five state criminal cases when the alleged 7-11 transaction occurred, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center records cited in the report show eight prior state convictions, including felony theft.
Prosecutor Cites History of Missed Court Dates
In a Nov. 6 motion, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeannette S. Graviss asked the court to detain Shinew without bail until trial. She argued that his history and characteristics weigh heavily in favor of detention, citing missed court appearances and prior arrests involving firearms, drugs, assault and domestic violence, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.
Shinew pleaded not guilty, and his detention hearing was scheduled for Thursday, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. The hearing’s outcome and the status of the five state cases pending at the time of his arrest have not been reported.
