Honolulu Legal Blog

On July 28, 2009, HECTOR CRUZ, age 38, of Las Vegas, Nevada, was sentenced by United States District Judge J. Michael Seabright to 175 months (over 14 ½ years) imprisonment for selling one pound of methamphetamine to an undercover Honolulu Police Department officer in March 2007. Cruz was the last to be sentenced of 15 defendants who were part of a larger conspiracy. According to information produced in court, the conspiracy was responsible for shipping thousands of pounds of methamphetamine from Las Vegas, Nevada to Hawaii from approximately 2005 to June 2007. The leader of the conspiracy, NELSON GAITAN-AYALA, age 46, also then a resident of Las Vegas, was found guilty by a federal jury in October 2007 and sentenced to 22 years imprisonment by Judge Seabright on June 15, 2009.

Edward H. Kubo, Jr., United States Attorney for the District of Hawaii, said the case was the culmination of a three-year investigation which included extensive wire tap evidence. To date, 15 individuals have been prosecuted and convicted of federal drug offenses for their roles in the drug conspiracy. Judge Seabright also sentenced other co-conspirators in the case to terms of imprisonment including:

JOHN EDUARDO AYALA, age 29, of Las Vegas, NV, sentenced on October 3, 2008, 192 months (16 years)

RAYCHEL CABRAL, age 28, of Honolulu, HI, sentenced on June 16, 2008, 144 months (12 years)

WILSONIS AYALA-VILLANUEVA, age 34, of Las Vegas, NV, sentenced on July 7, 2008, 168 months (14 years)

According to information produced in connection with court proceedings, GAITAN-AYALA and members of his family recruited local residents of Oahu to assist with distributing the methamphetamine and collecting proceeds from the drug sales. AYALA, CABRAL, and AYALA-VILLANUEVA received pound quantities of methamphetamine which were then distributed in Hawaii. Many of the drug parcels received by the them were mailed from Las Vegas to Hawaii. In turn, parcels containing cash proceeds from the sale of methamphetamine were mailed to Las Vegas and were ultimately received by GAITAN-AYALA.

The investigation which led to the prosecution was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, assisted by the Honolulu Police Department. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Susan Cushman.