(BIVN) – A Hilo man was sentenced to federal prison, to be served consecutively to a previous ten-year state prison sentence, after police found him in possession of methamphetamine in the parking lot of Wailoa State Park on August 2, 2023. 

Prosecutors say 59 year-old Robert Alan Akito Kinoshita was sentenced to 155 months in federal prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. The latest sentence will be served consecutively to Kinoshita’s existing ten-year sentence for unrelated convictions in State court for Promoting a Dangerous Drug in the Second Degree and Unlawful Imprisonment in the First Degree in relation to an incident that occurred on May 25, 2020 in Hilo.

From the Office of Prosecuting Attorney Kelden Waltjen:

As to the federal case, police reports indicate that Kinoshita was observed to be seated within the driver’s seat of a motor vehicle parked within the parking lot at Wailoa State Park. Following the execution of a narcotics search warrant, Area I Vice officers later recovered over 2.5 pounds of methamphetamine and $6,600.00 in U.S. currency from within the motor vehicle.

The investigation for the federal case was conducted by the Area I Vice Section, Hawai‘i Police Department. The case was initially charged in State court and later adopted for prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Perlmutter. The State cases were prosecuted by Deputy Prosecuting Attorneys Ha‘aheo Kaho‘ohalahala and Elyssa Correia Keltner.

“Our Office will continue to promote and encourage coordination between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to prioritize the prosecution of drug dealers who distribute methamphetamine and hold them accountable for poisoning our community,” said Prosecuting Attorney Kelden Waltjen. “These investigations and prosecution were the result of a combined effort by members of the Hawai‘i Police Department’s Area I Vice Section, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations, Hawai‘i County Prosecutors, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”