Murder, Kidnapping, Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering: Here’s How Hawai‘i’s Crime Scene is Changing
Since the 1970s, organized crime in Hawai‘i has rippled through the community, from gangland-style slayings, gambling and drugs to diverse global operations. But things seemed quieter lately, until a July federal indictment portrayed a Honolulu businessman as a crime boss, who ran an extensive enterprise sustained by a reputation for violence and intimidation. As stories surface of murder, kidnapping, drug trafficking and money laundering, we take a closer look at how organized crime has changed over the decades.
January 15, 2021
D
ozens of federal agents swarmed a modest suburban Kailua house before dawn in mid-July, armed with search warrants aimed at a local businessman with a decadeslong reputation for trouble. The operation ended with Michael Miske Jr. behind bars and the U.S. Attorney’s office unveiling an indictment detailing 22 charges against Miske and 10 of
A HONOLULU Magazine Exclusive Short Story: “Haleola’s Tears” by Alan Brennert
Read the prequel to “Moloka‘i” and “Daughter of Moloka‘i,” only available here.
January 1, 2021
By Alan Brennert
Only twenty-five miles of ocean separated the islands of O‘ahu and Moloka‘i, but to the reluctant travelers aboard the steamer
Kilauea, it felt as though it were a thousand leagues. The calm trade winds that cooled and gentled the land, when funneled through the narrow passage of the Kaiwi Channel, now turned violent and blustery. They raged the waters into ten-foot swells, as the engines of the Kilauea the little cattle boat looking as helpless on the waves as a piece of driftwood strained to keep the ship on its bearing. The journey from Honolulu had taken all of a very long night.
One Year Later: The Effects of Hawai‘i’s Illegal Short-Term Rental Ban
Illegal vacation rentals have worsened Hawai‘i’s affordable housing shortage while contributing to an overrun of high-impact, low-spending visitors. One year after a law limiting the short-term rentals passed, we check in on its effects.
October 8, 2020
Hopes were high when a bill with real teeth passed last August; then COVID-19 hit. Now, a year after the short-term vacation rental law took effect at a time when thousands fear eviction from their homes quarantine breakers are complicating enforcement and global host platforms are embedding themselves in county governments.