A circuit judge Tuesday sentenced a former Honolulu police officer to 60 days in jail on multiple drug charges including the promotion of cocaine, marijuana and powerful painkillers.
Judge Rom Trader also sentenced Alan Ahn, 55, to four years of probation under Hawaii’s Opportunity Probation With Enforcement (HOPE) program.
During sentencing, Ahn admitted wrongdoing and took responsibility for his actions. “I make no excuses for what I did,” he said.
Ahn waved to friends from his church group seated in the courtroom gallery before a deputy sheriff took him into custody.
He was facing up to 10 years in jail and was charged with four counts of promoting a dangerous, detrimental or harmful drug in the third degree; four counts of promoting a dangerous or harmful drug in the second degree; and one count of drug paraphernalia.
Trader acknowledged Ahn had turned his life around since the arrest, but said there had to be accountability for the serious crimes committed. As a police officer, Trader said, “You had an obligation, and with that obligation comes tremendous responsibility.”
Narcotics and vice officers arrested Ahn and his then-girlfriend Tiffany Masunaga during an Aug 13, 2015, raid on her home in McCully on Waiola Street, where undercover officers had bought drugs. Among the drugs seized at the home were alprazolam, an anti-anxiety drug, as well as painkillers hydrocodone and fentanyl.
Ahn served with the Police Department for almost 10 years before leaving following his arrest.
In January he pleaded no contest to the drug charges and asked the court to defer his no-contest plea to avoid conviction and dismiss charges if he stays out of trouble for a designated period of time. Trader denied the motion at Tuesday’s sentencing.
“Clearly you (had) made some choices to allow some very serious crimes to continue,” Trader said, adding that Ahn’s priorities were “messed up” at the time of his arrest.
Deputy prosecutor Chasid Sapolu requested Ahn serve up to 10 years in jail. “We believe it was warranted given the facts of the case. Alan Ahn was a police officer when he committed this crime. Our position is that police officers are held to a higher standard so when they violate the law, when they violate the public trust, they have to be held accountable,” Sapolu said after Ahn’s sentencing.
“There’s a lot of mistrust in law enforcement at this point. So it’s important that we send a message not just to Alan Ahn, but to all law enforcement, to all public servants, that if they do violate the law, if they violate the public trust, there will be serious consequences, and that’s why we asked for the amount of time,” Sapolu said.
Ahn’s attorney, Andrew Park, requested probation, noting Ahn turned his life around following his arrest. “He was a really good cop for a really long period of time,” Park said. “Then he hit a bumpy part of his life.”
Park said Ahn was going through a difficult time, made poor choices and lost sight of what’s important. “He got involved in a type of lifestyle he shouldn’t have gotten involved in,” he said.
Ahn has since reconnected with his Christian faith, is enrolled at a college where he is studying social work, and wants to help others avoid making the mistakes he did, Park said. “I think that we’re all very relieved and grateful that this case is now behind him. He can start moving forward and continue moving forward in the rest of his life.”
The case against Masunaga, who was indicted with multiple drug offenses including distributing or possession with the intent to distribute cocaine within 750 feet of a school, public park or public housing complex, is pending. She remains free since posting bail in 2015.
Correction: Deputy Prosecutor Chasid Sapolu requested Alan Ahn serve up to 10 years in jail. An earlier version said he requested Ahn serve 10 years.
