Plans to deal meth earn man a 20-year term

A federal judge sentenced a Hawaii island man to 20 years in prison for conspiring to deal methamphetamine.

U.S. District Judge Michael Seabright on Tuesday also fined Michael Sakuma $20,000.

U.S. Attorney Florence T. Nakakuni said Sakuma, 50, admitted in court to possessing more than 71⁄2 pounds of methamphetamine that he planned to distribute on Hawaii island. Sakuma pleaded guilty in January.

Prosecutors say Hawaii County police executing search warrants found the methamphetamine in two safes hidden behind wooden shelves at a Kailua-Kona warehouse.

Hawaii County police and Drug Enforcement Administration agents investigated the case.

Second hawk hurt by bullet is back in wild

A wildlife facility on Hawaii island says an endangered Hawaiian hawk that was found with a bullet lodged in its chest last month has been treated and released.

Ann Goody from the Three Ring Ranch Exotic Animal Sanctuary said the bird made a complete recovery after undergoing surgery. She said the bird was released on Monday at the sanctuary and perched in a nearby tree.

Goody said the bird was the second wounded hawk found in the span of six weeks on the Big Island. Both animals were apparently shot by a pellet gun, prompting an investigation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Goody said the Hawaiian hawk has significance in Hawaiian culture and is protected by federal and state law.