Kailua Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Conspiracy

HONOLULU - United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that Vaughn Ludwig, 50, of Kailua, Hawaii, pled guilty on May 28, 2026 to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl. Sentencing is scheduled for September 30, 2026 before United States District Court Chief Judge Derrick K. Watson.

As admitted in his plea agreement, from approximately November 2024 to May 2025, Ludwig conspired with narcotics suppliers to obtain fentanyl for further distribution in Hawaii. Ludwig was arrested on May 1, 2025, and caught with approximately 70.84 grams of fentanyl as well as $2,708 in U.S. currency, which he admitted were drug proceeds. In the days leading up to Ludwig's encounter with law enforcement, he also knowingly assisted others in the distribution of heroin and fentanyl from a hotel in Waikiki. One of Ludwig's suppliers, Charles Saikley, is charged separately and pled guilty on March 4, 2026 to possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine.

Ludwig faces a 10-year mandatory minimum term of imprisonment and up to life in prison, plus a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life.

The FBI is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara Eucker is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.