Honolulu, Hawaii – In a significant blow to the state’s drug trade, Bryson Couch, a 42-year-old Honolulu resident, was sentenced to 188 months in prison for his role in a major methamphetamine trafficking operation.
According to court records, Couch was introduced to an undercover federal investigator in July 2023, who posed as a large-scale drug supplier from the continental United States. Over the course of several meetings, Couch arranged to purchase 100 pounds of methamphetamine, two kilograms of cocaine, and approximately one kilogram of heroin from the undercover officer for $134,000.
On November 29, 2023, Couch met the undercover officer at a Honolulu hotel with the cash, where he accepted three suitcases containing the agreed-upon controlled substances. He was subsequently arrested by law enforcement.
‘The lesson to drug traffickers in Hawaii from Bryson Couch’s sentencing should be clear: there is nowhere for you to run and hide,’ said U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson. ‘We are proactively working with our law enforcement partners to hunt down and bring to justice anyone trafficking dangerous narcotics into our islands.’
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Postal Inspection Service, and Honolulu Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Albanese prosecuted the case.
The prosecution was part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad.
Bryson Couch, 42, was sentenced on June 23, 2026, for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin. He will serve 188 months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release. The total value of the controlled substances was $134,000.
The court’s decision sends a clear message to those involved in the state’s drug trade: there will be consequences for their actions. As U.S. Attorney Sorenson noted, ‘Dealer by dealer, supplier by supplier, we are tirelessly working to disrupt and dismantle any drug trafficking operations infecting our state.’
Key Facts
- State: Hawaii
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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