Bend man sentenced to nine years in federal prison for his role in multi-state meth trafficking operation

EUGENE, Ore. (KTVZ) — A Bend man has been sentenced to a nine-year federal prison term for possessing 20 pounds of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, federal prosecutors said Friday.

Isaac Kitashima, 48, was sentenced on Tuesday to 108 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release.

According to court documents, from August 2020 through June 2021, Kitashima and co-conspirators conducted a multi-state drug trafficking operation. Kitashima used associates to assist with the purchase, shipment and transport of methamphetamine between California, Oregon and Hawaii.

In August 2020, Kitashima hired a co-conspirator to drive a shipment of methamphetamine from California to Oregon. An Oregon State Police trooper attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle. The driver initially yielded to the stop, but then fled at a high rate of speed. The trooper pursued the vehicle, which was later found abandoned. A search of the vehicle located almost 20 pounds of methamphetamine, along with items identifying Kitashima, officials said.

Between February and May 2021, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration  and U.S. Postal Service intercepted multiple packages of methamphetamine intended for Kitashima’s distribution into Oregon and Hawaii.

On August 19, 2021, a federal grand jury in Eugene returned an indictment charging Kitashima with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute. On September 2, 2021, DEA and Maui Police Department executed a search warrant on Kitashima’s residence in Makawao, Hawaii, where he was arrested. During the search, investigators located methamphetamine and firearms in the residence.

On February 27, 2024, Kitashima pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

Thes case was investigated by DEA, USPS, Oregon State Police, and Maui Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Delph.

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