Honolulu man gets 10-year federal sentence in trans‑Pacific drug trafficking case

# What happened Kennard Hinano Boyd Kekona, 58, of Honolulu was sentenced in federal court to 120 months in prison and five years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and to possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl and carfentanil, and to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and carfentanil. Kekona has been detained since his arrest in April 2024.

# Scale of alleged activity Court records assign Kekona responsibility for 2 kilograms of fentanyl and more than 900 grams of methamphetamine. Authorities say carfentanil — a veterinary tranquilizer roughly 100 times more potent than fentanyl — was involved in the conspiracy. The broader investigation produced seizures exceeding 150 pounds of methamphetamine, several kilograms of fentanyl and carfentanil, eight firearms and ammunition, and over $150,000 in cash.

# The larger case

Sentences already imposed in related cases (selected):

• Shawn Pauahi Santana — 240 months imprisonment and five years supervised release (pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and distribution of methamphetamine), sentenced April 30, 2025.
• Faith Michelle Nelson — 151 months imprisonment and five years supervised release (pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine), sentenced Dec. 10, 2025.
• Francis Anthony Abergas Jr. — 210 months imprisonment and five years supervised release (pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possessing a firearm after a felony conviction), sentenced Dec. 16, 2025.
• Trish Leila Henderson — 36 months imprisonment and five years supervised release (pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine), sentenced Jan. 8, 2026.
• Travis Kalani Hong‑Ah Nee — 78 months imprisonment and five years supervised release (pleaded guilty to conspiring and possessing with intent to distribute carfentanil, plus possessing ammunition with a prior felony), sentenced Jan. 12, 2026.
• Leonard Gutierrez — 340 months imprisonment and five years supervised release (pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl and carfentanil, multiple distribution counts and possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking), sentenced Jan. 29, 2026.

# Who investigated and prosecuted 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. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret C. Nammar.

# Policy context The prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159, which coordinates federal and local agencies to disrupt transnational criminal organizations and related smuggling and trafficking operations.

# What this means locally