MEDIA RELEASE

A federal jury has found Uiki Teaupa, 42, of Kona, guilty of two drug conspiracy and distribution offenses involving more than 50 grams of methamphetamine, according to the FBI.

Teaupa will face a sentence of at least 10 years, and up to life imprisonment, when he is sentenced July 8 by U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright.

Florence T. Nakakuni, U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii, said according to information produced in court, Teaupa made at least eight trips to the mainland between 2009 and 2012, during which he obtained more than 20 pounds of methamphetamine.

Teaupa brought the methamphetamine to the Big Island, where another individual distributed it.

The jury heard three days of testimony and returned its verdict after a few hours of deliberation. Teaupa has been in custody since his arrest Nov. 2, 2012.

The indictment of Teaupa was the result of a two-year joint investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the county Police Department.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Nammar.