Leader of Trans-Pacific Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced to Over 28 Years in Federal Prison for Drug and Firearm Offenses

HONOLULU - United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that Leonard Gutierrez, 65, of Whittier, California, was sentenced yesterday in federal court by Senior United States District Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi to 340 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and carfentanil, nine counts of distribution of 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, and possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking. Gutierrez has been detained since his initial arrest in this case on April 9, 2024.

Judge Kobayashi found that Gutierrez was one of the leaders of the organization, and responsible for bringing more than 26 kilograms of methamphetamine, 1 kilogram of fentanyl, and over 4 kilograms of carfentanil into the Hawaiian Islands, using a variety of methods, and collecting thousands of dollars in illegal drug proceeds.

Carfentanil is a fentanyl analogue and is used as a tranquilizing agent for elephants and other large mammals. Carfentanil is approximately 100 times more potent than fentanyl, which can be lethal at the 2-milligram range, depending on route of administration and other factors.

Gutierrez is one of eleven defendants charged in three separate indictments for crimes related to the operation of a trans-Pacific drug trafficking network, nine of whom have pled guilty with the remaining awaiting trial. The investigation yielded seizures of more than 150 pounds of methamphetamine, several kilograms of fentanyl and carfentanil, eight firearms, ammunition, and over $150,000 in cash.

Gutierrez is the sixth defendant of eleven to be sentenced. Those charged in his and other related indictments have been sentenced as follows:

• On April 30, 2025, Shawn Pauahi Santana was sentenced to 240 months' imprisonment and 5 years' supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and to distributing methamphetamine.
• On December 10, 2025, Faith Michelle Nelson was sentenced to 151 months' imprisonment and 5 years' supervised release after pleading guilty to possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
• On December 16, 2025, Francis Anthony Abergas, Jr. was sentenced to 210 months' imprisonment and 5 years' supervised release after pleading guilty to possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possessing a firearm and ammunition after having been previously convicted of a felony.
• On January 8, 2026, Trish Leila Henderson was sentenced to 36 months' imprisonment and 5 years' supervised release after pleading guilty to possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
• On January 12, 2026, Travis Kalani Hong-Ah Nee was sentenced to 78 months' imprisonment and 5 years' supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute carfentanil and possessing with intent to distribute carfentanil and possessing ammunition after having been previously convicted of a felony.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Honolulu, Kauai, and Maui Police Departments, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret C. Nammar is prosecuting the case.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Hawaii is comprised of agents and officers from ICE-HSI, FBI, ATF, CBP, CGIS, DCIS, DEA, DSS, IRS-CI, NCIS, USMS, USPIS and HHIDTA, and the prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Hawaii.