KAILUA-KONA — A parcel containing a little more than 6 pounds of crystal methamphetamine, or ice, was intercepted Thursday by the Hawaii Police Department Airport Task Force at Kona International Airport. The 2,800.4 grams of the drug bound for an
KAILUA-KONA — A parcel containing a little more than 6 pounds of crystal methamphetamine, or ice, was intercepted Thursday by the Hawaii Police Department Airport Task Force at Kona International Airport. The 2,800.4 grams of the drug bound for an address in Kona has an estimated street value of about $280,000.
“That’s a major, major haul,” said Capt. Chad Basque, who oversees the department’s Criminal Investigations Section, which includes Vice. “Someone who’s sent that package has to be very upset and whoever is receiving it is probably pretty worried.”
Basque declined to comment Friday about whether suspects were identified, noting a full update would be available early next week when Lt. Sherry Bird, in charge of Vice, returns to the island. He said leads are developing.
Unlike other cases, such as in December 2014 when police already had information about suspects and were awaiting the arrival of two people known to be carrying methamphetamine, this package was found during normal screening procedures by the task force, he said. It was among many parcels being shipped commercially that are checked at airports, harbors and mail shipping facilities by the unit’s canine.
Police said after the dog displayed a positive alert of narcotics in the package, officers secured a search warrant and confiscated the drugs.
“That dog worked hard that day,” Basque said.
Basque said officers “occasionally” come across packages in the mail containing narcotics, but “I wish we could find more.”
According to the federal Department of Justice’s Hawaii High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area 2011 Drug Market Analysis, the most recent report available online, all five police agencies in the state, including the Hawaii Police Department, reported that ice is the “greatest drug threat” in their jurisdictions. According to the report, in 2010 more than 125 pounds of ice, carrying a street value of nearly $7 million, was seized.
The Police Department encourages community members to report any information about the illegal importation, distribution and possession of narcotics by calling the vice/drug tip hotlines at 329-ZERO-ICE (329-0423) for information pertaining to the districts of Ka‘u, North and South Kona and North and South Kohala; 934-VICE (934-8423) for information pertaining to the districts of Puna, North and South Hilo and Hamakua; or Crime Stoppers at 961-8300.
Email Chelsea Jensen at cjensen@westhawaiitoday.com.
