Hanapepe residents Mike and Curt Smith are awaiting trial after a grand jury indictment for allegedly attempting to traffic roughly 5 kilograms of cocaine through Los Angeles International Airport to Kaua‘i. Probably best-known for their magazine, Nalu Underground, the Smith
Hanapepe residents Mike and Curt Smith are awaiting trial after a grand jury indictment for allegedly attempting to traffic roughly 5 kilograms of cocaine through Los Angeles International Airport to Kaua‘i.
Probably best-known for their magazine, Nalu Underground, the Smith brothers are well-known throughout the surfing community. Their Westside magazine operation led to the production of a DVD entitled, “NU, the movie,” in May 2006.
According to an affidavit filed with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Drug Enforcement Agency officials approached the Smith brothers on June 28 at the Los Angeles International Airport and asked them if they would consent to having their carry-on luggage searched, to which they both consented.
What officers alleged to find after searching the men’s luggage included five “suspicious, cylindrical objects wrapped in white medical tape concealed within clothing in the suitcase,” which, according to special agents cited in the complaint, tested positive for cocaine.
The search was the second to involve the DEA and Curtis Smith, as officials had seized $89,660 from him Nov. 16 at the same airport.
The affidavit goes on to state the Kaua‘i Police Department has been investigating the Smiths for the past 10 years.
Rasha Gerges, assistant to the United States Attorney for the Central District in California, said yesterday the Smith brothers were each indicted on charges of conspiracy to possess a Schedule II narcotic with intent to distribute, and possession of a Schedule II narcotic with intent to distribute.
Each of the four counts carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years, with a statutory maximum of 40 years.
Los Angeles International Airport Narcotics Task Force officers arrested the brothers after receiving an anonymous tip.
The tip led them to believe Mike Smith might be transporting $100,000 worth of cocaine in his suitcase on an 8:46 a.m. flight June 26 from Los Angeles to Lihu‘e, the affidavit states.
However, when DEA officials arrived on-scene, the United Airlines ticketing agent said Mike Smith hadn’t checked in. Later that day, an airlines employee informed the task force that Mike Smith had rescheduled his flight, and the sting resumed.
When officers made the arrest June 28, they seized 5,303 grams of cocaine and $40,000 in cash, according to the indictment.
The two men are each being held on $150,000 bond, Gerges said.
Their pretrial is scheduled for Oct. 1, with trial slated to begin Oct. 23.
