The Hawai‘i County Police Department’s newly unified Vice Division reported major increases in illegal drug recoveries in 2025.
After consolidating the East and West Hawai‘i Vice units into a single division, officers seized large quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, marijuana, and other narcotics, along with hundreds of paraphernalia items.
During 2025, Hawai‘i County Police Department Vice officers recovered the following illegal drugs:
- 75.3 pounds of methamphetamine
- 20.5 pounds of cocaine
- 5.45 pounds crack cocaine, heroin, and ketamine
- nearly 2 pounds of illicit fentanyl
- more than 550 fentanyl pills
- more than 1,000 pounds of dried marijuana, including 771 marijuana concentrate pills; 687 plants; 22 pounds of concentrates, marijuana dabs, and oil; and 11 pounds of edibles
- 4.8 pounds of other illegal narcotics, psilocybin (mushrooms), MDMA, LSD
- 789 drug paraphernalia items
The nearly one kilogram of illicit fentanyl recovered by Vice officers in 2025 alone had the potential to cause 500,000 fatal overdoses, an amount comparable to every man, woman, and child on the islands of Ni‘ihau, Kauai, Maui, Moloka‘i, Lāna‘i, and Hawai‘i Island, plus the Oahu communities of Kapolei, Ewa Beach, and Royal Kunia.
Vice investigations also resulted in the seizure of a large volume of drug paraphernalia, including hundreds of vape devices, scales, pipes, grinders, and other tools commonly used to distribute and consume illegal drugs. Removing these items helps disrupt ongoing drug activity and prevents continued harm.
In addition to drugs and paraphernalia, Vice officers recovered the following in 2025:
- 73 firearms
- 1,800+ rounds of ammunition
- Explosive materials
- more than $424,000 in US currency and assets connected to drug trafficking
These seizures directly reduce violence and help dismantle organized criminal activity operating on Hawaiʻi Island.
From February through December 2025, Vice investigations resulted in:
- 297 arrests for 1,146 offenses
- 427 warrants and 14 parras warrants issued
Members of the public are encouraged to report illicit drug use and distribution through the HPD’s Vice tip hotlines (808) 329-0423 for Kaʻū, Kona, South Kohala, and North Kohala, and (808) 934-8423 for Puna, South Hilo, and Hāmākua/North Hilo.
HPD Photo
