A 41-year-old Maui man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to federal charges that he allegedly marketed fentanyl and heroin on Maui by shipping the drugs into Hawaii from Washington state and Nevada.

Drew Allen Ward was indicted by a federal grand jury May 18 and charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and heroin, one count of distribution of fentanyl and one count of distribution of heroin.

He was arrested in Washington on May 9 and is being held at the Federal Detention Center in Honolulu.

Ward allegedly was selling packages containing 10 ounces of powdered fentanyl for $10,000 and sold more than 400 grams of fentanyl, an amount capable of creating 200,000 fatal doses. One gram of fentanyl, which is manufactured in China in powder or liquid form, can create 500 lethal doses. Ward would allegedly sell an ounce of powdered fentanyl for $1,000.

Ward is a resident of Edgewood, Wash., who previously lived on Maui, attended Maui High School and has 11 prior state convictions, including five felony drug convictions in Hawaii.

Assistant U.S. Attorney W. Keaupuni Akina, who is prosecuting the case, and Ward’s attorney, assistant federal public defender Melinda K. Yamaga, did not immediately reply to Honolulu Star-Advertiser requests for comment.

Ward’s trial is scheduled for 9 a.m. Aug. 14 before Chief U.S. District Judge Derrick K. Watson. A hearing on the U.S. Department of Justice’s motion to detain Ward before trial is set for 10:30 a.m. June 21 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Rom A. Trader.

“Law enforcement investigations suggest that Ward is the mainland distributor of large quantities of controlled substances in Maui,” according to a May 5 criminal complaint.

Maui police, FBI agents and FBI task force officers used a confidential human source, referred to in federal court documents as “CHS1,” who said they received “controlled substances from Ward in the past.”

“CHS1’s criminal history includes felony convictions for promotion of dangerous drugs and theft along with misdemeanor convictions for promotion of harmful drugs and other offenses. CHS1 has received a total of $3,000 from the FBI for information and services. Despite CHS1’s criminal record, the information provided has been verified and found to be accurate,” read the complaint.

The source told police and federal agents that Ward allegedly used the U.S. Postal Service to ship the drugs to Hawaii and coordinated the transactions using the encrypted messaging service Signal.

Ward “fronted” the controlled substances, including heroin and fentanyl, to CHS1 and then told CHS1 the sale prices for each. After making sales, CHS1 would wire money to Ward via his bank account.

On Dec. 14, 2022, the source told law enforcement that Ward reached out about an incoming package containing “two white” that was being sent to Maui. CHS1 explained that “white” is slang for fentanyl, that the quantity “two” typically meant two “packs,” and that each pack contains 10 ounces of powdered fentanyl, according to the complaint.

The packs would be delivered Dec. 15 and MPD’s Vice Narcotics Division, along with FBI task force officers and agents, conducted physical surveillance at a residence on Old Haleakala Highway and watched a package being delivered to a woman.

The source got the package from the woman and gave it to law enforcement. A search warrant executed on the package turned up 480 grams of fentanyl.

On Dec. 28, investigators directed a deposit of cash in the amount of $4,200 to Ward’s Central Pacific Bank account.

Between Dec. 28 and Jan. 3, 2023, four ATM withdrawals totaling $4,000 were made from Bank of America ATMs in the Milton- Edgewood branch in Washington. Law enforcement allegedly linked the account and withdrawals to Ward.

After he got the money, Ward contacted CHS1 and used coded language to convey that he had heroin ready to be sent to Maui, the complaint said. At the direction of law enforcement, the source gave Ward the address of a post office box in Wailuku that is leased by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. On Jan. 31, police and federal agents checked the P.O. box and discovered a U.S. Postal Serv­ice package addressed to their source.

“A search of the package resulted in the seizure of 81.8 gross grams of suspected heroin. Following the seizure of the heroin, Ward contacted CHS1 requesting proceeds from the sale of controlled substances,” read the complaint. “Ward directed proceeds be mailed to his home address.”

Investigators packaged $1,300 in cash into a USPS flat rate box and delivered it to Ward’s home in Edgewood, Wash., on March 9, 2023, the complaint said.