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‘Ice’ bust nets
1998 pageant winner
A former Miss Hawaii USA
and her husband are
arrested in Kailua
A former Hawaii beauty queen and her husband were arrested in Kailua yesterday for allegedly selling crystal methamphetamine.
Tiffini Hercules, 29, and her husband, John Limahai Jr., 31, were arrested at Kailuana Place at 5:30 a.m. on several drug offenses.
Police said Hercules had a quarter-ounce of "ice" with a street value of about $1,000 and a digital scale.
Hercules was crowned Miss Hawaii USA in 1998 and went on to compete in the national Miss USA Pageant in Louisiana.
Police said the arrests come after a three-month investigation into suspicious activity at 527 Paulele St., where Hercules and Limahai had been staying off and on.
"It started off as complaints about suspicious activity, lots of comings and goings at that home," said Lt. John McCarthy. "Then the investigation eventually led to these two."
McCarthy said police set up drug deals in the Paulele Street home, where ice was allegedly purchased from both Hercules and Limahai.
Besides the ice and the digital scale, police said Hercules was arrested with small amounts of rock cocaine and marijuana. Limahai was also found with several grams of ice when he was arrested, police said.
"That's quite a bit to be carrying around," McCarthy said.
After the couple's arrest, police raided the Paulele Street home about 6:20 p.m. and recovered an undisclosed amount of ice and some shotgun rounds.
Also found at the house was what appeared to be stolen Honolulu Fire Department equipment -- a helmet, jacket, mask and bag.
"We know who the firefighter is, but we haven't gotten a hold of him," McCarthy said. "We don't think he's involved in the drug dealing, though."
Several other people live at the house -- two of whom were home at the time of the raid -- but police did not arrest them. McCarthy said the investigation centered around the couple.
"You wouldn't expect it from someone like this," McCarthy said. "When you think of Miss Hawaiis and Miss Universes, you mostly think of success stories.
"But ice ... hits everybody."
