Nearly 50 arrested in series of drug-ring raids

By Peter Boylan
Advertiser Staff Writer

U.S. Attorney Ed Kubo said groups nabbed in this week's raids represent only a small fraction of crystal meth dealers in Hawai'i. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

The action taken against the rings, which allegedly distributed ice and cocaine on O'ahu and the Big Island, ranks among the top 10 drug ring shutdowns in Hawai'i history, U.S. Attorney Edward Kubo said yesterday.

Federal prosecutors said the groups were responsible for importing dozens of pounds of ice and cocaine a week from California, Nevada and Arizona. Authorities said they recovered almost $200,000 from the groups and confiscated 12 firearms.

Only small amounts of ice were taken in the raid, but the impact of the arrests will be felt in the state's ice distribution system, law enforcement officials said.

The arrests and searches of homes and businesses on O'ahu and the Big Island were part of "Operation Shave Ice," a coordinated

effort by federal, state and county law enforcement officers in the war on ice.

"We've taken one of the major groups," said Hawai'i County Police Chief Law-rence Mahuna. "Thirty to 35 percent of the meth on the Big Island can be associated to this group."

Larry Burnett, director of the Hawai'i High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Group (HIDTA), a partnership of federal, state and county law-enforcement agencies responsible for the raids, said the arrests would disrupt the flow of ice to O'ahu as well. "You'll see a temporary disruption statewide," he said.

Nevertheless, Kubo said there are many other groups trafficking in the drugs.

"Unfortunately, the departure of this group of individuals from the drug distribution business in Hawai'i is but a small dent in the overall picture," Kubo said. "This group represents only a small fraction of the many organizations or groups that are out there selling crystal meth."

FBI Special Agent in Charge Charles Goodwin said HIDTA was planning raids against identified drug trafficking organizations.

"It is a target-rich environment," Goodwin said. "The message to ice dealers is that we may be coming to a neighborhood near you soon."

The busts began Tuesday on the Big Island, where the task force executed approximately 20 search warrants in Kona and Hilo. Twenty-four people were arrested, including one in California.

Yesterday, 18 search warrants were executed on O'ahu in conjunction with three in Phoenix, leading to about 18 arrests on O'ahu and three in Phoenix.

Law-enforcement officials said the majority of raids targeted homes, but as many as four businesses were involved.

Suspects have been indicted on federal charges of conspiring to distribute crystal methamphetamine and cocaine, federal offenses that carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, with a maximum of life in prison.

Federal prosecutors said the investigation revealed a complex import system that used commercial airliners, shipping companies and the Postal Service.

Prosecutors and law-enforcement officials described the drug-trafficking groups:

• Marvin Postadan and 13 others allegedly imported from Los Angeles every month 20 to 30 pounds of cocaine and four pounds of ice. Mahuna said this group is linked to about a third of the ice on the Big Island. Postadan allegedly bought the drugs from Jesus Madrigal in Los Angeles and distributed them on the Big Island with the aid of several associates, notably Jasen Antonio and Jeffrey Silva.
• A group of 11 people led by William Totten allegedly imported some 40 pounds of ice per month from Phoenix. Investigators say Totten bought the drugs from Roman Calderon of Arizona and sent couriers from Hawai'i to set up the sales and deliver $70,000 to $100,000 per week to the Mainland to buy ice.
• Shane Tom and five others allegedly flew in multiple pounds of ice from Las Vegas. Tom, Keith Kalawaia and Latin Silva traveled from Hawai'i to Las Vegas allegedly to buy methamphetamine from Michael Huwe. The trio was primarily responsible for distributing the drugs once they returned to the Islands.
• Jasen Antonio and Brandon Chang helped transport ice within the state and arranged shipments of ice from Honolulu to the Big Island.

The indictment charges that three Mainland men supplied the drugs: Calderon, Madrigal and Huwe. They will be tried on federal drug charges in Hawai'i.

Officials credited federal wiretap laws for helping them gather evidence to indict the suspects.

Arrests of similar scope took place last in April 2002, when federal and local authorities arrested alleged members of an international methamphetamine distribution ring responsible for what police said was half the ice sold on Maui.

Law-enforcement officials said the execution of warrants on O'ahu is ongoing.

Advertiser Staff Writer David Waite contributed to this report.

Reach Peter Boylan at 535-8110 or pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.