HILO — A Hilo grand jury returned separate methamphetamine trafficking indictments Wednesday against two local men that could result in life imprisonment with the possibility of parole for both.
A four-count indictment charges 52-year-old Dorbert K. Correa of Pahoa with first-degree meth trafficking, third-degree possession of a dangerous drug, two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and driving without a license.
And an unrelated, three-count indictment charges 39-year-old Cory George Young of Hilo, also known as Cory Wong-Yuen, with first-degree meth trafficking, attempted first-degree meth trafficking and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Correa, who was on a prison furlough for a previous conviction on drug and firearms offenses, was arrested June 20 after a search warrant was executed on his vehicle on Banyan Drive in Hilo early that afternoon.
According to court documents, a backpack was found that contained 338 grams, almost 12 ounces, of a crystalline substance that field tested positive for methamphetamine, also known as “ice.” A scale with meth on its platform and base, as well as unused zip-lock packets, also were recovered, documents state.
The estimated street value of the drug, according to police, is $15,000.
Correa was one of two people ordered by Hilo Circuit Judge Glenn Hara on Jan. 11, 2013, to permanently vacate a Kaumana Drive home prosecutors described as a “drug house” in a civil nuisance abatement action brought by County Prosecutor Mitch Roth.
A girlfriend of Correa’s told police in May 2012 Correa distributed “large quantities of crystal methamphetamine” and had “four long guns and one pistol,” according to a court document. The document stated that Correa had 10 prior felony convictions and was legally ineligible to own or possess firearms.
Young was arrested after officers responded to a report of a reckless driver on Kawailani Street at about 10 a.m. June 8, 2015. Both men are in custody at Hawaii Community Correctional Center.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.