Hilo man receives 10-year prison sentence nearly 2 years after police find more than half a pound of meth in his vehicle

A 37-year-old Hilo man was sentenced earlier this week to 10 years in prison after a search warrant executed on his vehicle in September 2023 turned up more than half a pound of methamphetamine and paraphernalia associated with distributing it.

Hawai‘i County prosecutor’s office reports that Aysa Kalei Delos Santos appeared July 17 in Hilo Circuit Court for sentencing in the case.

Delos Santos on May 15 pleaded no contest to second-degree promoting a dangerous drug, second-degree attempted promoting a dangerous drug and operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant.

After hearing arguments from the parties, the court on July 17 sentenced Delos Santos to 10 years in prison for the second-degree promoting a dangerous drug and the second-degree attempted promoting a dangerous drug charges.

He also received 30 days in jail for operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant.

If the sentences were ordered to be served consecutively, Delos Santos would have faced a little more than 20 years behind bars. However, the court ordered them to be served concurrently, or at the same time, so the sentence is essentially cut in half to 10 years.

Second-degree promoting a dangerous drug and second-degree attempted promoting a dangerous drug are Class B felonies punishable by a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

The charges stem from a Sept. 17, 2023, incident when Hawai‘i Police Department officers contacted Delos Santos after receiving a report of a reckless driver near Ice Ponds on Kalanianaʻole Street in Hilo.

Officers with the Police Department’s VICE East Section responded to the scene and executed a narcotics search warrant on Delos Santos’ vehicle.

They recovered more than half a pound of methamphetamine, syringes, more than 50 zip packets, a digital scale and $4,439 cash.

The traffic stop and arrest were made by Hawai‘i Police Department South Hilo Patrol Officer Kristopher Palea. The felony drug investigation was handled by Lt. Kelly Moniz with the Police Department’s VICE East Section.

Deputy Hawai‘i County Prosecuting Attorney Elyssa Correia Keltner prosecuted the case.