Posted on: Tuesday, April 22, 2003

Jail guard, lawyer face drug charges

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

A Honolulu lawyer and a guard at the Halawa Correctional Facility have been charged with attempting to smuggle crystal methamphetamine into the prison.

Lawyer Thomas Stephen Leong was charged in a complaint yesterday in U.S. District Court accusing him of purchasing 2 ounces of crystal methamphetamine, or "ice," from an undercover officer for delivery to the prison.

Guard Melvin H. Moisa was charged with arranging to smuggle the drug into the prison.

Leong is accused of buying the drug and providing it to a prison guard, who was to smuggle the ice inside, according to an affidavit by FBI special agent Miles Yamane. Leong was named as a participant in the scheme by a Halawa inmate who cooperated with police and the FBI.

According to the affidavit:

On Wednesday, the inmate called Leong and gave him the number of a police undercover officer. Leong called the officer and the two arranged to have 2 ounces of ice delivered to Leong.

Leong was arrested Friday when he met the undercover officer at the Aloha Tower Marketplace and handed over $3,000 in exchange for the drug.

Moisa was arrested the same day in Kailua. The deal was set up by a prison inmate informant who gave another inmate the number of a police undercover officer.

A third person arranged to deliver the drugs to Moisa for $2,000. Moisa admitted that he intended to smuggle the ice into the prison, the affidavit said.