Hawai‘i Island police officer Justin Gaspar was recently honored by the Kona Crime Prevention Committee as Officer of the Month for March 2022.

Gaspar was honored for his work taking down a major drug trafficking operation that prevented a large quantity of narcotics from entering Hawaiʻi Island.  On November 1, 2021, he initiated a narcotic investigation starting with a vehicle interdiction. Early on, he cultivated an informant that developed into a cooperating defendant. During the course of investigation, it was determined the narcotic source of supply was connected to a Mexican source that was involved with the Mexican Cartel, which was confirmed through an outside agency.
 
Upon identifying the Hawai‘i Island drug trafficking organization, Officer Gaspar was able to connect distributors involved which developed into a criminal conspiracy investigation resulting in the dismantling of the local organization.  The main supplier from the mainland, a 49-year-old man from Tacoma Washington, was arrested for seven counts of promotion of a dangerous drug in the first degree and two counts of criminal conspiracy. A local conspirator, a 63-year-old man from Kailua-Kona, was arrested for one count of criminal conspiracy. Both were later transferred to the custody of Homeland Security Investigations on federal charges and the investigation into the extensive drug network is ongoing.
 
This investigation resulted in over nine search warrants that resulted in the recovery of five pounds of methamphetamine, more than 7,000 fentanyl pills, and two pounds of pure powdered fentanyl with a combined approximate street value of more than $1,000,000. 
 
A 12-year veteran of the department, Officer Gaspar is also a K9 handler, and works with narcotics canine Boyke.

(Photo credit: HPD)