Kailua Fentanyl Dealer Sentenced to 70 Months in Prison
News Release from U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Hawaii, Friday, October 2, 2026
HONOLULU – United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that Vaughn Ludwig, 50, of Kailua, Hawaii, was sentenced yesterday in federal court by United States Chief District Judge Derrick K. Watson to 70 months in prison followed by 4 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.
According to court records, Ludwig was part of a conspiracy from at least November 2024 to May 2025 to obtain fentanyl from a mainland supplier and then distribute it in Hawaii. At sentencing, Ludwig was held responsible for approximately 1.5 kilograms of fentanyl and over 200 grams of heroin. In his plea agreement, Ludwig admitted to distributing fentanyl and heroin from a hotel in Waikiki in the days leading up to his arrest on May 1, 2025.
In a separate case related to the same drug trafficking conspiracy, Louis Deguair was sentenced on July 13, 2026, to 37 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release for possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl. Charles Patrick Saikley also previously pled guilty in a separate case related to the same drug trafficking conspiracy and is pending sentencing on October 15, 2026, for possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine.
The FBI investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara Eucker prosecuted the case.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.
SA: Kailua man, 50, sentenced for fentanyl trafficking | Honolulu Star-Advertiser