Federal prosecutors have asked a U.S. District Court judge to hold a 44-year-old Kona woman facing federal drug offenses without bail.
A federal complaint against Jennifer M. Conway, also known as Amanda Gene Vason, was filed in U.S. District Court in Honolulu on Tuesday, the same day Hawaii County prosecutors dismissed the state-level case after being informed federal prosecutors would pursue the matter.
The 10-page complaint and accompanying affidavit unsealed Wednesday accuse Conway of 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.
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.
Conway is due to make her initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Honolulu today. The judge will also consider a motion to detain Conway without bail.
The case follow a collaborative drug trafficking investigation that spanned between Hawaii Island and Washington.
According to the affidavit, law enforcement began tracking a phone believed to be in Conway’s possession while she was in Puyallup, Washington, on April 14.
“Based on the investigation, it was believed that Conway makes frequent trips to the Seattle, Washington, area where she is a part-time resident for the purpose of acquiring various types of narcotics for ultimate distribution and sale on Hawaii Island,” the affidavit reads.
Search warrants were obtained on April 18.
Three days later, on April 21, law enforcement determined Conway was on a direct flight from Seattle to Kailua-Kona. When she landed, investigators monitored her movement from the plane to picking up a suit case at the luggage carousel before approaching her outside the gates.
They encountered her along the waiting area curb, and executed the search warrant, according to the affidavit.
In her carry-on bag, officers reportedly located three Washington drivers licenses: one for Jennifer Mae Conway, another for Amanda Gene Vason and a third for Jeanette Stiles. A boarding pass issued in Vason’s name, which was the same name as on the luggage receipt, was alsI found. In addition, police located 12 blue pills with “M/30” imprint, a portion of which field tested positive for fentanyl.
A search of the luggage turned up a reported 802 grams of a powdery substance that field tested positive for methamphetamine, 52 grams of a brown tar-like substance that field tested positive for heroin, and a “large quantity” of blue pills with the “M/30” imprint weighing 287.55 grams that field tested positive for fentanyl, according to the affidavit.
The following day, during an interview with Hawaii Police Department officers, Conway said she’d acquired the drugs in Washington and traveled back to Hawaii Island using a false identity because she was on supervised release in an unrelated case that prohibited travel outside the state of Hawaii.
She also told officers the heroin was for personal use, and “acknowledged that she had a heroin addiction that requires that quantity of the drug.” Further, she said she had planned to contact law enforcement after landing to turn in the fentanyl pills.
The 502 grams of methamphetamine, she told the investigator, was to be given to a customer on Hawaii Island for distribution.
The Hawaii Police Department in a media release issued before the feds had picked up the case stated the recovered drugs had an estimated street value of $300,000.
Anyone having information concerning illegal narcotics distribution should call the Hawaii Police Department Vice Section in East Hawaii at (808) 961-2258 or in West Hawaii at (808) 326-4646, ext. 226. Those who prefer to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300.
