Leader of trans-Pacific drug trafficking organization sentenced to 28 years

U.S. District Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi sentenced 65-year-old Leonard Gutierrez of Whittier, Calif to more than 28 years in prison after pleading guilty to drug and firearms charges that involved bringing methamphetamine, fentanyl and carfentanil into the Hawaiian islands for distribution.

Kobayashi found that Gutierrez was one of the leaders of a trans-Pacific drug trafficking network, and responsible for bringing more than 26 kilograms of  meth, 1 kilogram of fentanyl, and over 4 kilograms of carfentanil into Hawaiʻi 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, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Honolulu. 

Gutierrez has been detained since his initial arrest in this case on April 9, 2024. His sentence also includes five years of supervised release when his prison time is completed.

He pled 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 is one of 11 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 two awaiting trial.

The investigation yielded seizures of more than 150 pounds of methamphetamine, several kilograms of fentanyl and carfentanil, eight firearms, ammunition and more than $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, Shawn Pauahi Santana was sentenced to 240 months in prison and 5 years supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and to distributing methamphetamine.  
• On Dec. 10, Faith Michelle Nelson was sentenced to 151 months in prison and 5 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to  possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine.  
• On Dec. 16, Francis Anthony Abergas, Jr. was sentenced to 210  months in prison and 5 years of 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 Jan. 8, Trish Leila Henderson was sentenced to 36 months in prison and 5 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine.  
• On Jan. 12, Travis Kalani Hong-Ah Nee was sentenced to 78 months in prison and 5 years of 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, Kauaʻi 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 initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion.