18-year-old UC Santa Cruz student indicted for ‘Banana Plug’ drug dealing app

This undated photo released by the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office shows Collin Howard, a University of California, Santa Cruz student, who is facing felony charges for allegedly creating an iPhone app he dubbed the Banana Plug to sell illicit drugs. (Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office via AP) less This undated photo released by the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office shows Collin Howard, a University of California, Santa Cruz student, who is facing felony charges for allegedly creating an iPhone app he ... more Photo: Associated Press Photo: Associated Press Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close 18-year-old UC Santa Cruz student indicted for ‘Banana Plug’ drug dealing app 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

An 18-year-old UC Santa Cruz student became the banana slug with the plug, creating an iPhone app that facilitated the sale of contraband and drugs that included cocaine, “Molly” and “Shrooms,” authorities said Tuesday.

Collin Riley Howard of Sunnyvale was indicted on one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and three counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, after he allegedly sold drugs to an undercover Homeland Security Investigations agent on multiple occasions.

Rather than attempting to keep the illicit operations under the radar, authorities said, Howard built an app called the “Banana Plug,” a reference to UC Santa Cruz’s banana slug mascot, while also employing the term “plug,” which is slang for drug dealer.

Howard made his first court appearance Tuesday after being arrested Feb. 15, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The app, though still listed in Google search results, was removed from Apple’s App Store on Wednesday. Company officials did not respond to requests for comment.

Posters advertising the app had been hung up around campus, drawing the attention of a UC Santa Cruz police officer who then contacted Homeland Security Investigations, authorities said. The app invited customers to make “special requests.”

Undercover officers communicated with Howard via the app to set up the first purchase of marijuana and cocaine, authorities said, before moving to Snapchat so the Homeland Security Investigations agent could conduct additional deals with Howard for more than five grams of methamphetamine.

Howard was arrested before any payment was made on the fourth meeting, authorities said.

If convicted on the cocaine charge, Howard faces up to 20 years in prison and fines of $1 million for each of the two alleged violations. He faces a prison sentence between five and 40 years on the methamphetamine charges, as well as a fine of $5 million for each of the two violations included in each count.

A judge will have discretion on any potential sentencing.

Howard’s bail review hearing was scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Friday. He was released after his initial appearance Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nathanael Cousins.

Josh Koehn is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: josh.koehn@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Josh_Koehn