Hawaii woman indicted for smuggling heroin from Honolulu to Lassen County prison
A Honolulu woman who flew from Hawaii to Sacramento to smuggle heroin to her boyfriend in prison was indicted by a federal grand jury on Thursday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
On Nov. 15 2019, Arlene-Alena Keko Olani, 29, landed at Sacramento International Airport from Honolulu. The following morning, she rented a silver Toyota Camry and drove to High Desert State Prison in Susanville, where she had a scheduled visit with her boyfriend, according to the indictment.
Authorities were tracking her, the indictment said, and decoded phone calls between her and her incarcerated boyfriend providing evidence of a plot to smuggle heroin from Hawaii into the prison.
When Keko Olani arrived at the prison in Lassen County, authorities confiscated the heroin.
“During a recorded interview, Keko Olani admitted she possessed contraband,” said an affidavit filed in federal court in Sacramento in January. “A search of Keko Olani discovered one bundle of heroin concealed on her person. The heroin weighed approximately 52.9 grams.”
A search of the trunk of her rental car yielded another package of suspected heroin weighing 53.4 grams, according to the affidavit, which formed the basis of a criminal complaint filed Jan. 30 charging Keko Olani with conspiracy to possess and distribute heroin.
Keko Olani was charged Thursday with conspiracy to distribute heroin, and two counts of possessing heroin with intent to distribute heroin, authorities said. If convicted, Keko Olani could face up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
This story was originally published June 26, 2020 at 11:46 AM.