A preliminary hearing will be held later this month for a 33-year-old Waimea man facing felony drug charges following a major drug bust this fall.
Alika Akima, who’s charged with two counts of promotion of a dangerous drug in the first degree — a Class A felony punishable by 20 years imprisonment upon conviction — and misdemeanor marijuana possession, made his initial appearance Thursday in Kona District Court.
During the short appearance, Akima requested a preliminary hearing through his attorney Brian De Lima, who told Judge Mahilani E.K. Hiatt he was making a special appearance on Akima’s behalf via Zoom. During the Dec. 28 hearing, prosecutors will work to show they have sufficient probable cause to support the charges filed against Akima.
Akima remains free on his own recognizance pending the hearing.
Kona Vice and South Kohala Patrol officers executed a search warrant on Oct. 27 at a Kipahele Street home in Waimea, assisted by agents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. According to police, that search turned up 7.25 pounds of cocaine, just over a quarter-pound of methamphetamine, and slightly more than a half-ounce of marijuana.
Police said the cocaine has a street value of $410,862, and the street value of the methamphetamine is $8,500.
In addition, officers seized for potential forfeiture $353,398 in cash, jewelry valued at $117,000, a .223 caliber semi-automatic rife and three vehicles — a 2008 Toyota pickup truck, a 2008 Toyota sport-utility vehicle and a 2018 Polaris utility vehicle.
According to Hawaii court records, Akima’s prior offenses are all traffic related.