LIHU‘E — The Kapa‘a man arrested last year with a large quantity of meth, fentanyl, and an AR-style “ghost gun,” is set to be sentenced in May after reaching a plea deal with federal prosecutors.
Paul Say, 59, was arrested by the Kaua‘i Police Department in January 2022, after searches of his property unearthed three illegal firearms, 41 grams of fentanyl, and 258 grams of meth.
Say was initially indicted by Kaua‘i prosecutors in the Fifth Circuit Court of Hawai‘i on 15 weapons and drug charges. Federal prosecutors got involved in the case in December 2022, filing four felony charges against Say and quickly reaching a plea agreement.
Say pleaded guilty in the District Court of Hawai‘i to one drug charge and three weapons charges, for which he could face fines and prison time.
For the drug charge alone, Say faces a minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum of 40, with a fine of up to $5,000,000. Each of the three weapons charges carries an additional prison term of up to 10 years and a fine of up to $250,000. Say is currently being held in a federal detention facility, with a sentencing date scheduled for May 8.
The information agreed upon by both the defendant and prosecutors in his plea deal provides insight into his arrest.
According to the agreement, Say was pulled over by a Kaua‘i Police Department officer on Jan. 19, 2022, in a routine traffic stop.
“As Say exited the vehicle, the KPD officer asked if there was anything that would hurt, poke or harm him or anyone else,” the agreement reads. “Say said no, but then pulled a digital scale with a white powdery residue out from his pants pocket.”
The officer also noticed an “off-white, crusted” substance around Say’s nose. A subsequent canine search discovered drugs present in the vehicle, and it was then seized.
Say admitted to police during the search that he had an ounce of meth in the backseat, along with a smaller amount of fentanyl, and a pistol, which he had received in payment for a debt.
After obtaining a search warrant, police discovered the gun — a loaded .38-caliber Taurus Brasil with a defaced serial number — along with 258 grams of meth, 41 grams of fentanyl, and $8,046.
The next day, KPD searched Say’s residence in Kapa‘a, discovering a semi-automatic AR-style .223 “ghost gun,” a 12-gauge shotgun, and 93 rounds of ammunition. Ghost guns are untraceable firearms, without serial numbers that can be bought online and assembled at home.
Later that week, KPD searched a self-storage locker in Lihu‘e that belonged to Say, finding a loaded Berretta .22-caliber pistol, and additional ammunition.
Say’s possession of all these weapons was illegal because he was an ex-felon, with a long rap sheet spanning several decades that includes convictions for assault, reckless endangering, and abuse of family or household members.
Kaua‘i Prosecutor Rebecca Like said Thursday that her office would not comment on the status of the case until the federal sentence was handed down.
It is possible that their case would be dismissed upon Say’s sentencing in the federal case.
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Guthrie Scrimgeour, reporter, can be reached at 808-647-0329 or gscrimgeour@thegardenisland.com.
