Posted at 1:24 a.m., Friday, December 29, 2006
Three strikes rule equals life sentence for drug felon
Advertiser Staff
A 38-year-old Honolulu man was sentenced to life in prison yesterday for conspiring to distribute and possessing, with intent to distribute, more than 50 grams of methamphetamine.James Torao Low was found guilty of the drug charges by a federal jury on June 28.
It is Low's third felony drug conviction, U.S. District Attorney Ed Kubo, Jr. said, and under federal law a life sentence without parole is mandatory. Low's previous drug felony convictions were in the 1990s.
According to information produced in court, Low was part of drug operation that distributed methamphetamine on O'ahu from 2004 to June 2005. His role, the U.S. Attorney said, was to obtain pound quantities of meth from various sources and distribute the drugs to mid-level dealers who, in turn, sold the meth at the street level.
A search of Low's Honolulu residences after his June 8, 2005 arrest resulted in the discovery of approximately seven pounds of methamphetamine, various drug paraphernalia and $149,394 in cash. Firearms and ammuntion were also recovered during a search of a storage locker leased by Low.
