An Arizona man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl in Hawaiʻi.
On Monday, Feb. 7, Robert Darnell Beal, of Chandler, Ariz., was sentenced in federal court by United States District Judge Derrick K. Watson after he was found guilty in June following a five-day trial in Honolulu of conspiring to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
Clare E. Connors, United States Attorney for the District of Hawaiʻi, said the evidence presented in court showed that Beal, 41, flew to the Dayton International Airport in Ohio from Phoenix, Ariz., on Dec. 10, 2014, and took possession of over four pounds of fentanyl that was transported from the San Francisco Bay Area to Dayton, Ohio by another individual.
Special Agents of the FBI monitoring wiretaps authorized by the United States District Court determined the fentanyl was being transported to Dayton, Ohio on Dec. 10, 2014 by a drug trafficking organization operating on Maui and in Northern California, according to a press release from the Department of Justice. The FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration in Ohio, working in conjunction with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, effected a stop of Beal’s taxicab outside the Dayton International Airport and seized 4,007 grams of fentanyl in Beal’s travel bag.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD
Beal faced a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years imprisonment after the prosecution filed an enhancement alleging a prior federal felony conviction for possessing cocaine base with intent to distribute in the District of New Mexico.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, or OCDETF, operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The case was the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Maui Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration and assisted by the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
This comments section is a public community forum for the purpose of free expression. Although Big Island Now encourages respectful communication only, some content may be considered offensive. Please view at your own discretion. View Comments
