Hawaii may get 1M eggs in price-fixing settlement

A 30-year-old Washington state woman appeared in federal court in Honolulu on Saturday after authorities said they found more than 34 pounds of cocaine in her luggage before a flight to Tokyo.

Vanesa Selena Ramirez is charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. She appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Wes Reber Porter. The U.S. Department of Justice moved to detain her without bail pending trial, and a hearing on that motion is scheduled for Monday.

Ramirez was being held at the Federal Detention Center in Honolulu.

According to court records, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport told Homeland Security Investigations agents at about 2:10 p.m. Friday that they found cocaine in Ramirez’s luggage.

At 4:15 p.m. Friday, officers asked Ramirez about the bags, and she produced matching claim tags, according to an affidavit from one of the agents. Two Homeland Security Investigations agents interviewed Ramirez at 4:45 p.m. Friday.

Ramirez told agents she knew the bags contained illegal cargo, but said she did not believe it was illegal drugs, according to the affidavit. She said she was to be paid $5,000 to take the bags to Tokyo, where an unknown person would collect them.

According to Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, cocaine and other narcotics are “strictly regulated” under the “Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Control Act.” The ministry said violations involving possession, use, sale, importation, and other cocaine offenses can carry prison terms of up to 10 years and fines of up to 5 million yen, or more than $30,000.

Hawaii may receive about 1 million eggs under a proposed settlement with three of the nation’s largest egg producers, according to the state Attorney General’s Office.

The U.S. Department of Justice and 17 states, including Hawaii, reached the agreement with Cal-Maine Foods Inc., Versova/Centrum, and Hickman’s Egg Ranch after filing a civil lawsuit alleging unlawful inflation of the daily egg price index.

Under the proposed settlement, the companies would pay a combined $3.3 million and donate 53 million eggs to participating states. Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez said the state’s share was still under review because of distribution logistics. If Hawaii receives the eggs, they would go directly to food banks.

“When companies illegally manipulate prices, Hawaii families pay the price at the checkout counter,” Lopez said in a news release. “This settlement holds these producers accountable and helps ensure that essential food items remain accessible to families and communities in Hawaii and across the nation.”

According to the attorney general’s office, a Justice Department antitrust investigation found that from June 2022 to March 2025, the three companies coordinated bidding activity to influence daily egg price quotes published by Urner Barry, a benchmark pricing service.

The release said that, in December 2022, Hickman’s chief executive officer emailed executives at Versova and Cal-Maine urging them to submit “strong bids, early and often” to raise prices. The companies then submitted higher bids, and Urner Barry increased its price quotes, according to the release.

The attorney general’s office said that affecting the Urner Barry benchmark raised egg prices paid by retailers and consumers nationwide.

A Hawaii Department of Agriculture market analysis issued in March 2025 found that the benchmark price for a dozen mainland eggs rose 30% to $9.46, while the benchmark price for a dozen large, locally produced eggs rose 20% to $9.51. The analysis also said Hawaii consumers had fewer brands to choose from because of egg shortages on the mainland.

If approved by a court, the settlement would bar communications about bidding strategies and prices. It also would require antitrust compliance measures and compliance officers, with reports to the states and the Justice Department.