LIHU‘E — A Kapa‘a man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to 15 charges related to dangerous-drug promotion and illegal possession of weapons.
The Kaua‘i Police Department arrested 58-year-old Paul Bun Chung Say on Jan. 19 after enacting a search warrant on his home and car.
Police reported that they recovered approximately 243 grams of meth, 42 grams of fentanyl, 26.4 grams of marijuana, unidentified pills, an AR-15-style ghost gun rifle — an unserialized and untraceable firearm — a loaded .38 special pistol, a 12-gauge shotgun, ammunition, and more than $8,000 in cash during the search.
KPD said they believe Say is part of a larger criminal organization.
He is currently being held on $1 million bail.
At Tuesday’s arraignment at the state Fifth Circuit Court in Lihu‘e, Say’s lawyer, Michael Green, suggested a bail modification, saying the $1 million figure seemed “a little oppressive.”
He said his client was seeking treatment for daily use of fentanyl, and that he had additional health problems.
Judge Kathleen Watanabe requested more information on any treatment program that Say might enter into, and recommended that the request to reduce bail be presented in a motion, which Green filed later in the afternoon.
Say has a long rap sheet spanning several decades — including three convictions for third-degree assault, one each for reckless endangering and theft, and a misdemeanor case for abuse of family or household members.
In 1999, Say was sentenced to five years in prison for third-degree promoting of a dangerous drug — meaning the possession of any amount of a Schedule I or II substance excluding marijuana — and in 2016 he was sentenced to a year in prison for misdemeanor assault.
Watanabe set a trial date for June 27, with a pre-trial hearing June 2.
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Guthrie Scrimgeour, reporter, can be reached at 647-0329 or gscrimgeour@thegardenisland.com.
