Former isle football Two brothers who were all-state selections when they played football for St. Louis School and a Maui Police officer are among 40 people charged with federal drug offenses yesterday.
stars charged in
FBI drug bust
The 2 St. Louis grads and a
Maui police officer are among
40 who are arrestedBy Nelson Daranciang
ndaranciang@starbulletin.comThey were arrested in what the FBI calls a sophisticated drug trafficking organization responsible for supplying at least half of the methamphetamine or "ice" on Maui.
The FBI identifies brothers Silila and Tasi Malepeai as major players, suppliers and primary distributors in an international organization that distributed methamphetamine and cocaine in California, Hawaii, Fiji, Tonga, Australia and New Zealand.
Among the remaining 38 defendants is Maui Police Department patrol officer James Mateaki. The 8 1/2-year Maui police veteran was arrested Tuesday, said Maui Police Chief Thomas Phillips.
The arrests were the culmination of a 16-month investigation by the FBI, Maui Police Department, Honolulu Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration, said Daniel Dzwilewski, FBI special agent in charge.
Law enforcement officers seized $350,000 cash, three pounds of cocaine and one pound of methamphetamine yesterday after serving 34 search warrants and 14 seizure warrants.
They had previously seized $250,000 cash and more than seven pounds of methamphetamine during the course of the investigation.
The defendants are "primarily Tongan nationals and members of a particularly violent group involved in violent crimes on Oahu and Maui," Dzwilewski said.
Parents of some of the defendants and individuals of the Tongan community took great risks in stepping forward and assisting in the investigation, he said.
Silila Malepeai was a standout defensive lineman at St. Louis. After graduating in 1990, he went on to play college football at Oregon.
Tasi Malepeai graduated two years later as an all-star offensive lineman and followed his brother to Oregon. He played in the Hula Bowl in 1997 and then returned to St. Louis as an offensive line coach.