Man faces charges for smuggling of Ecstasy

By David Waite
Advertiser Courts Writer

A 50-year-old O'ahu man is facing federal drug charges for allegedly trying to smuggle about 3,000 Ecstasy pills into Hawai'i from Essex, England.

U.S. Attorney Edward Kubo yesterday said that because a mailing form was not filled out properly, the parcel was opened in England and the drugs were discovered.

British officials then notified U.S. authorities and the parcel was forwarded to the Drug Enforcement Administration office in Honolulu, which made a "controlled delivery" to the address on the mailing label, Kubo said.

Daniel W. Vandervort was arrested shortly after he took possession of the parcel, Kubo said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Kawahara, who is handling the case, said Vandervort is being held at the Federal Detention Center at the airport and is scheduled to appear in federal court for a preliminary hearing at 10 a.m. Monday.

Briane Grey, the agent in charge of the Honolulu DEA office estimated the confiscated pills had a street value of $20 to $40 per tablet. The pills were contained in a hollowed-out book the size of a dictionary. Grey said that was a common tactic used to smuggled guns and drugs.

Kubo said the pills were intercepted within days of an announcement on Nov. 21 by DEA Administrator Asa Hutchinson that the agency was launching "Operation X-Out" in an attempt to crack down on ecstasy importation and use.

Kubo said statistics indicate the use of ecstasy has risen dramatically in Hawai'i over the past several years.

Vandervort faces a maximum possible sentence of 20 years, Kubo said.

Correction: Briane Grey is agent in charge of the Honolulu office of the Drug Enforcement Administration. His name was misspelled in a previous version of this story.