Eight indicted in federal meth case

Following Wednesday’s raid that officials said targeted the key players in a Philippine-O‘ahu-Kaua‘i drug trafficking ring, eight Kaua‘i residents were indicted in federal court yesterday.

Facing conspiracy to distribute, possession with intent to distribute and other substantive methamphetamine trafficking crimes are: Kaua‘i residents Edward Cachola, 41, David Marcial Lane, 38, Desmond Dwight Mundon, 32; and Summer Keala Ebesu, 25, Santiago Corpuz Leones Jr., 45, Wanda Lynn Oshiro, 41, Leann Pualani Fu, 43, and Sheena Gail Semana, 24.

Fourteen federal, state and county agencies participated in the bust that also included two O‘ahu residents.

U.S. Attorney Ed Kubo said roughly 6 pounds of methamphetamine with a street value of close to a quarter of a million dollars was seized in the bust.

According to the indictments, the methamphetamine-ring leaders had been trafficking the drug from the Philippines to Kaua‘i; O‘ahu to Kaua‘i; and Sacramento, Calif., to O‘ahu and Kaua‘i.

Officials caught on to the rings after obtaining a court-ordered federal wiretap of the defendants’ cell phones. Between May and July of this year law enforcement used the tap to zeroed-in on the defendants.

Executing 14 search warrants, Drug Enforcement Agency officers, police and U.S. Marshals swooped in early Wednesday morning to Kaua‘i, arresting eight residents.

According to the indictment, Cachola allegedly tried to acquire methamphetamine through another co-defendant, David Lane, of O‘ahu, as well as through others from Sacramento, Calif. The indictment also states Cachola allegedly intended to distribute all of the seized methamphetamine on Kaua‘i with the assistance of the other Hawai‘i defendants.

Kubo said alleged ring-leader Cachola faces mandatory life imprisonment if convicted. Cachola has two prior felony convictions.

According to the second indictment, Santiago Leones Jr., and Oshiro tried to obtain methamphetamine through co-defendant Brian Chrzanowski, of O‘ahu, and through co-defendant Wilson Leones, of the Philippines.

The third indictment states Chrzanowski and Semana attempted in June to bring approximately two ounces of methamphetamine from O‘ahu to Kaua‘i.

It also alleges that Chrzanowski was found to be in possession of about 19 grams of methamphetamine taped below his waist upon arriving on Kaua‘i. The remainder of the methamphetamine was recovered from Ebesu shortly after co-defendant Semana allegedly gave it to her for safekeeping, the indictment states.

With the exceptions of Cachola, potentially facing life in prison, Chrzanowski, who faces a 20-year-sentence and a second five-year sentence, the latter of which could be extended to up to 40 years, the remaining Kaua‘i defendants in this case face a mandatory 10-year sentence in jail and up to life imprisonment, Kubo said.

“This group has been operating for years on Kaua‘i,” Kubo said. “They were bringing in well over 10 pounds per month just on your island.”

Kubo said part of the reason authorities were able to nab the suspects was because other drug investigations have resulted in a drug “drought,” which has lessened the flow to Kaua‘i.

“They became more desperate, and became more obvious to us,” he said.

Two other large, Kaua‘i drug-dealing cases are pending in federal court, including the pot bust that allegedly yielded close to 6,000 marijuana plants.

The trial of Edward Holland, his sons Robert and Ryan Bihm, Robert’s wife, Melissa Bihm and Mark Steven Darling, who were arrested in September, is expected to begin at 9 a.m. Jan. 29, 2008 in federal court.

Curt and Mike Smith, creators of surf publication Nalu Underground, are expected to appear at 2 p.m. Monday before U.S. District Judge Audrey B. Collins in federal court in Los Angeles, said Rasha Gerges, assistant to the United States Attorney for the Central District in California.

• Amanda C. Gregg, assistant editor/staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or agregg@kauaipubco.com.