Maui drug smuggler gets 2-year term, forfeits $1M

Associated Press

A Maui man involved in smuggling tons of Thai marijuana to the West Coast has been sentenced in federal court to two years in prison.

Michael Keith Ritter also forfeited $1 million in cash.

Ritter pleaded guilty in May 2004 to money laundering and filing false income tax returns.

He was sentenced on Thursday.

U.S. Attorney Ed Kubo Jr. said Ritter netted about $3 million through his participation in at least a dozen marijuana smuggling ventures from the late 1970s to the mid 1980s.

One shipment of about 3 tons of marijuana from Thailand to the U.S. in 1986 grossed more than $5 million, according to information produced in court.

"This case emphasizes that we are very serious about forfeiting the ill-gotten gains of drug dealers," Kubo said.

Ritter had faced a possible 23-year prison sentence.