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Officer: Man admits drugs in bathtub were his

Suspect faces charge of promoting a dangerous drug

Bronsen Rodrigues

The Maui News

WAILUKU — After police found more than 1 pound of crystal methamphetamine in a backpack in the bathtub of a Haiku residence, a man told police the drugs were his and he sells crystal methamphetamine, a police officer testified Friday.

Bronsen Rodrigues, 33, made the statements when he was questioned at the Wailuku Police Station after the search Monday, said police vice narcotics officer Paul Feagai.

“He just said that he does distribute and he holds about 3 pounds of crystal methamphetamine at a time,” Feagai said at a preliminary hearing for Rodrigues in Wailuku District Court.

Rodrigues said he sold a pound of methamphetamine for about $10,000, Feagai said. “He indicated it was easy to come across,” Feagai said.

After the officer’s testimony, Judge Blaine Kobayashi found there was sufficient evidence to support probable cause for the charge of first-degree promoting of a dangerous drug against Rodrigues.

Feagai said he and other officers went to Rodrigues’ residence on Kauhikoa Road to execute search warrants for him and the home Monday.

When officers lined up outside and twice knocked and announced their presence, Rodrigues looked out a window in the door and ran back into the residence, Feagai said. “We breached the door based on the exigency of the circumstances,” he said.

Feagai said he made contact with Rodrigues in the house and advised him of his constitutional rights. “I asked him if there was anything illegal in the house,” Feagai said. “He told me whatever he had was in the backpack in the bathroom area.”

In the bathtub, police found a Michael Kors backpack with two zippered compartments, Feagai said. He said the backpack contained two plastic bags — one holding 419.39 grams of methamphetamine and the other with 158.84 grams of the drug.

The total weight of the drugs seized was 1.28 pounds, according to police.

Police also found $15,000 in the larger zippered compartment where the drugs were, along with a digital gram scale, and $1,560 in the small zippered compartment of the bag, Feagai said.

He said the $15,000 was bundled with rubber bands in increments of $5,000.

In a search of Rodrigues’ bedroom, police found a gold necklace, $204 in cash and suspected marijuana in a dresser, Feagai said.

From a second bedroom, where Rodrigues’ 56-year-old mother stayed, police recovered a green purse with a small bag of suspected crystal methamphetamine and a glass pipe containing methamphetamine residue, Feagai said. He said a 12-gauge shotgun, which was registered to Rodrigues’ brother, also was found in the second bedroom.

Under cross-examination by defense attorney Matthew Nardi, Feagai said Rodrigues’ mother said she was a drug user and said the methamphetamine from the second bedroom was hers.

Rodrigues told police “he wanted to claim ownership for the drugs that was found with his mother’s purse,” Feagai said.

“He said he wanted to take the burn for whatever his mom had,” Feagai said.

He said the Michael Kors backpack that contained most of the drugs looked like a female’s bag.

But under questioning by Deputy Prosecutor Tracy Jones, Feagai said he has found methamphetamine in bags that can be either men’s or women’s.

He said he knew the backpack belonged to Rodrigues because he said his drugs were in the backpack.

When he told Rodrigues about the amount of methamphetamine in the backpack, Feagai acknowledged that Rodrigues seemed surprised. “I think he didn’t realize how much he had in there,” Feagai said.

He said police are still investigating the shotgun that was found in the house.

Rodrigues’ mother, who also was arrested, was later released pending further investigation, police said.

Feagai said records show Rodrigues is a felon with convictions for unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle and second-degree theft in a 2015 case.

He is facing a second revocation of his probation in that case and had been free on a $50,000 bond when he was arrested in the drug case, Jones said.

She said Rodrigues’ probation officer described his performance on probation as “very poor.”

Judge Kobayashi kept bail for Rodrigues at $150,000, cash only.

In addition to first-degree promoting of a dangerous drug, Rodrigues is charged with two counts of possessing drug paraphernalia and third-degree promoting of a detrimental drug. He is scheduled to be arraigned May 29 in 2nd Circuit Court.

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