The arrest of 29-year-old Gabriel R. Collazo surfaced when the suspect appeared for a preliminary hearing Wednesday in Wailuku District Court.

Police armed with a search warrant and a battering ram knocked in the door of Collazo's Kauhale Street residence, where he allegedly had been selling 10 pounds of cocaine every month for the past three months and dealing drugs for the past half-year, police and prosecutors told Wailuku District Court Judge Douglas Ige.

A team of 10 officers also seized about 3 pounds of marijuana in the raid at about 11 a.m. Saturday, police officer Masa Kaya testified.

Collazo had been staying at the Kihei residence of his 51-year-old mother for more than a year, said his defense attorney, William Sloper.

Kaya testified that Collazo twice waived his right to an attorney, submitted to interviews and said he wanted to cooperate with police.

Investigators first found cocaine in gallon- and quart-sized plastic bags in the kitchen, Kaya said.

Then, with Collazo's help, police discovered a cardboard UPS box addressed to the defendant. Within it were four taped-up bricks of cocaine hidden inside Pelican-brand cases, Kaya said.

During the search, police also discovered several marijuana-growing areas in the home with special lights, air ducts and air conditioners, and aquariums painted black. Some of the plants were as tall as 6 feet, Kaya said.

Collazo told police that he had a card to grow and possess medicinal marijuana legally. However, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney J.D. Kim said that card was never found by police or presented by the suspect.

Authorities estimated that the drugs had a street value of $500,000. Police did not say how they learned drugs were in the home.

Collazo is charged with first-degree promotion of a dangerous drug, two counts of possessing drug paraphernalia and a single count of second-degree commercial promotion of marijuana.

Ige found there was probable cause to sustain the government's charges and maintained bail for Collazo, who is unemployed, at $500,000. His arraignment hearing is scheduled for Jan. 8 in 2nd Circuit Court.

Sloper argued that bail was too high. Collazo was a working man, had close family ties to Maui and had no prior criminal convictions, Sloper said.

"People who commit murder in this jurisdiction don't have bail set this high," Sloper argued.

Kim said Collazo presented a danger to Maui residents and was a high flight risk.

"As a businessman, he is killing this community slowly with his cocaine," Kim said.

At the beginning of this year, Maui police made what they've called the biggest drug bust in county history. Police said that they found 18? pounds of cocaine, 6 pounds of methamphetamine and some marijuana at the Kahului home of Patrick and Ohia Aniban. They are awaiting trial on drug charges.

Chris Hamilton can be reached at chamilton@mauinews.com. Staff writer Lila Fujimoto contributed to this report.