Detention and preliminary hearings have been set for next month for a 44-year-old Kona woman facing federal drug charges.
Jennifer M. Conway, also known as Amanda Gene Vason, made her initial appearance Thursday before Magistrate Judge Rom Trader in U.S. District Court in Honolulu.
Her appearance follows an April 21 arrest at Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport after arriving on a direct flight from Seattle. There, awaiting law enforcement served a search warrant and reportedly recovered 1.7 pounds (502 grams) of methamphetamine, 2,700 fentanyl pills with a combined weight of 287.5 grams, and 1.8 ounces (52 grams) of heroin.
Prosecutors initially filed the case at the state level, however, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Honolulu opted to pick up the case, which came as the result of a month-long collaborative drug trafficking investigating spanning Hawaii Island and Washington.
Federal prosecutors in a 10-page complaint unsealed Wednesday charged Conway with single counts of possession with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine, 40 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl and a “quantity of a mixture and substance” containing a detectable amount of heroin.
Trader set a May 3 hearing date to consider the a request by the U.S. Attorney’s Office to detain Conway without bail pending the outcome of the case.
The judge also scheduled a preliminary hearing for May 12. During the hearing, federal prosecutors will work to show there is probable cause to support the counts in the complaint. If the judge determines probable cause exists, the matter will move to trial.
Upon conviction, the first two counts carry a minimum term of 10 years while the third count carries five years for a first-time offender, according to U.S. Code. However, because Conway has two prior felony drug convictions out of Washington, she could face life imprisonment, which means serving not less than 25 years, for the first two counts and a minimum of 10 years for the third count.