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
Miske Case Weaves Together Disparate Strands Of Past Crimes - Honolulu Civil Beat
Miske Case Weaves Together Disparate Strands Of Past Crimes
As information comes out in the case of alleged crime boss Michael J. Miske Jr., it looks like the gang was operating in plain sight. Reading time: 12 minutes.
It’s been nearly six months since local businessman Michael J. Miske Jr. was arrested in a dramatic pre-dawn raid on a Kailua home, and named along with ten alleged co-conspirators in a 22-count federal racketeering indictment. Prosecutors charge the men were part of a criminal organization which used Miske’s successful businesses, including Kamaaina Termite and Pest Control, as both a home base and a facade which concealed their ongoing criminal enterprise.