A man who helped deliver the fatal fentanyl doses to two Hawaii men who died in a Waikiki hotel in June 2023 was sentenced Wednesday to two years in federal prison.
Jeffrey P. Waz, 65, was
sentenced to 24 months for conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance resulting in death and serious bodily injury, and 24 months for distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death and serious bodily injury, according to federal court records.
Waz’s sentences will run concurrently, and Senior U.S. District Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi also placed Waz on three years of supervised release for each count, also to run concurrently, after he gets out of federal prison.
Waz was one of four people charged by federal prosecutors in connection with the overdose deaths of
Steven Berengue, 53, and
Joseph Iseke, 44. The two men died after overdosing
at a hotel party in Waikiki on June 3, 2023.
Iseke, of Kailua, was pronounced dead at the scene after emergency personnel responded to a call at the Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort. Berengue, of Kailua-
Kona, was taken to a hospital, where he died within
24 hours of being found.
“This tragedy underscores the deadly nature
of fentanyl, even in small amounts. Mr. Waz is deeply remorseful and extends his heartfelt sympathies to the families of the departed,” Waz’s attorney, Andrew M. Kennedy told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “Unfortunately, Mr. Waz’s story is all too common: Someone suffering from physical pain turns to opioids. We hope this case brings awareness to the dangers of fentanyl and serves as a deterrent to others.”
Waz, who is free on bond, entered into a plea agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice on Jan. 5, 2024. He must self-report to federal prison June 25.
The investigation was done by the Honolulu Police Department, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Federal Bureau of
Investigation.
Federal law enforcement investigated the deaths and charged people throughout the supply chain who helped Iseke and Berengue get their fatal doses.
Keina Breit Drageset, 28, and Avery James Garrard, 33, are accused of smuggling drugs bought off the dark web into Hawaii through the mail and giving them to Waz to market.
Waz gave the drugs to
Joseph Alvin Hamil Opens in a new tab, 59, the street dealer of the drug
trafficking organization allegedly led by Drageset, an ex-model who was allegedly caught with fentanyl in her white Tesla and apartment and more than $150,000 in a safe.
Drageset is scheduled to be sentenced April 24, Garrad on Tuesday and Hamil on May 1.
Hamil allegedly gave Iseke and Berengue fentanyl by mistake.
Three other victims, who survived, told authorities they thought Iseke was chopping up “cocaine and/or molly and all three snorted the substances allegedly not knowing they contained fentanyl,” according to federal court records.
The term “molly” refers
to the powdered form of MDMA, a stimulant that alters mood and perception.
Waz, Garrard and Drageset were originally accused of a controlled-substance conspiracy resulting in death and serious bodily injury, according to an eight-count indictment secured by federal prosecutors in July 2023.
On May 10 and 18, 2023, Waz allegedly sold one to five ounces of fentanyl that he obtained from Garrard.
On June 3, Hamil allegedly planned to sell “a ball” of meth, or 3.5 grams, to Iseke but mistakenly gave him one gram of fentanyl that he allegedly got from Waz, and one gram of heroin, according to federal court documents.
Additionally, Waz, Garrard and Hamil are charged with distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death and serious bodily injury. Waz and Drageset are also accused of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
On June 4, 2023, at about 6:22 a.m., HPD and Emergency Medical Services responded to a 911 call from one of the surviving victims, who woke up at the resort after blacking out.
HPD found five victims in a hotel room who were either unresponsive or needed medical attention.
Authorities said
substances found at the scene tested positive for methamphetamine and fentanyl. Police said “multiple types of drugs were found at the scene,” including a small baggie with a white “crystalline substance,” along with
a glass pipe, and black-tar heroin.
Another victim, who described Berengue as an old friend, said the group had run into him coming back
to the hotel from a concert. Berengue told them he drank and “may have used methamphetamine that day, but could not recall.”
Berengue claimed that
Iseke brought crystal methamphetamine to the room “but was not sure what the other drugs were.”
The victim who had described Berengue as an old friend said he snorted a white powder in the hotel room, which he allegedly got from Iseke, and “within a few minutes” blacked out.
Investigators found text message exchanges on Iseke’s phone that occurred between June 3 and 4, 2023. Iseke allegedly texted Hamil asking about the “pinkish purple powder” that was included in his drug order, according to federal court documents.
Hamil allegedly replied, “Exactly what I’ve been looking for all night. Hope you still have it. Should be a bag with brown and one with purple. I have to return that stuff. Call me in the morning please? Big, big mistake. Running around like an idiot today and went all different directions at once. Anyways call me in the morning if can so I can run by. Thanks bro.”
