A Kailua-Kona man is facing up to 30 years incarceration after a Kona jury found him guilty of trafficking methamphetamine and possessing drug paraphernalia.
A Kailua-Kona man is facing up to 30 years incarceration after a Kona jury found him guilty of trafficking methamphetamine and possessing drug paraphernalia.
John Albert Wagner Jr. was convicted Wednesday on one count first-degree methamphetamine trafficking and two counts possessing drug paraphernalia, according to the Hawaii County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney. Sentencing is slated for 8 a.m. Nov. 16 before 3rd Circuit Court Judge Elizabeth Strance in Kona.
The charges stem from Dec. 23, 2010, when the Hawaii Police Department executed a search warrant on Wagner’s Kailua-Kona home, according to the office. Located in Wagner’s bedroom were 45.46 grams of methamphetamine, various drug paraphernalia including a scale, and more than $11,700.
At the time of the search warrant’s execution, Wagner had been on parole for about five months for offense of methamphetamine trafficking and promoting a dangerous drug, according to the office.
A first-degree methamphetamine trafficking conviction subjects a person to incarceration for up to 20 years with a mandatory minimum term of two years, according to the office. A subsequent conviction increases the mandatory minimum term to six years and eight months. Possessing drug paraphernalia, a class C felony, carries up to five years incarceration.
If Wagner is concurrently sentenced for the offenses, he could face up to 30 years incarceration, in addition to any time faced in the prior case, according to the office.
Anyone with information on drug trafficking should call the department’s Ice Hotline in Kona at 329-0432 or in Hilo at 934-8423. Those who prefer to remain confidential may call Crime Stoppers at 329-8181 in Kona or 961-8300 in Hilo. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.