A Keaau man arrested on suspicion of shipping methamphetamine and blue-colored fentanyl pills into Hawaii from Fresno, Calif., was released from custody Wednesday on a $50,000 unsecured bond.

Timothy Fondren was charged by federal criminal complaint Sept. 22 with attempted possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and attempted possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Arrested Sept. 23, he was granted bail by U.S. Magistrate Judge Rom A. Trader against the recommendation of federal prosecutors who wanted Fondren held without bail. His preliminary hearing is slated for January.

On Sept. 15, as part of an ongoing investigation into methamphetamine and fentanyl shipments to Hawaii, U.S. Postal Inspector Brian W. Shaughnessy obtained a federal search warrant for a package addressed to a P.O. box in Keaau, according to federal court documents.

Four days later, case agents executed the search warrant and found 455 grams of methamphetamines and about 50 grams of blue tablets, all bearing an “M-30” marking and testing positive for fentanyl. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has said blue-colored pills with the M-30 markings are fake oxycodone pills that contain fentanyl.

Investigators confiscated the pills and subbed the methamphetamine out for fake drugs that looked like methamphetamine. They repackaged it with a device that would alert them when it was opened. On Sept. 22, case agents witnessed Fondren pick up the package and drive to a home on Arna U Road in Keaau.

Agents and Hawaii County police officers executed a search warrant at the home and spotted Fondren opening an exterior door. After officers directed him to not move, Fondren retreated into the house. Police and agents had to “breach the exterior door” to the residence, and inside the home they found the pseudo-­methamphetamine along with Fondren’s state ID and mail addressed to him.

In late August, the DEA issued a public advisory warning citizens about the threat of brightly colored fentanyl pills. The DEA and its law enforcement partners have seized brightly colored fentanyl and fentanyl pills in 18 states. The trend appears to be a new method used by drug cartels to sell highly addictive and potentially deadly fentanyl made to look like candy, according to the advisory.

“Rainbow fentanyl — fentanyl pills and powder that come in a variety of bright colors, shapes, and sizes — is a deliberate effort by drug traffickers to drive addiction amongst kids and young adults,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram, in a statement. “The men and women of the DEA are relentlessly working to stop the trafficking of rainbow fentanyl and defeat the Mexican drug cartels that are responsible for the vast majority of the fentanyl that is being trafficked in the United States.”