International drug summit to be held in Hawaii

HONOLULU — An international summit for prosecutors and law enforcement officials to discuss global drug trafficking will be held in Waikiki later this month.
The Hawaii International Drug Trafficking Summit will bring together top drug prosecutors from Guatemala, Hong Kong, India, Mexico, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand with district attorneys from 10 U.S. jurisdictions in Arizona, California, Kansas, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Washington state. Attendees also include federal and Hawaii law enforcement officials, along with county prosecutors from neighbor islands.
Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Keith Kaneshiro is organizing the event, planned for Oct. 27 and Oct. 28 at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa.
"This is the first summit of its kind," Kaneshiro's spokesman, Dave Koga, said Wednesday. "We're hopeful there will be others, with even more international participation."
Organizers claim that Hawaii's location makes it an ideal place to hold the event. They say crystal methamphetamine's primary ingredient, ephedrine, originates in Asia and is processed into methamphetamine in countries bordering the United States.
One goal of the summit is to make recommendations for international cooperation. A report from the summit also was expected to be presented at next year's meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.
The district attorneys attending are: Cynthia Besemer of Sacramento, Calif.; Rob Bovett of Newport, Ore.; Derek Champagne of Franklin County, N.Y.; Janetta Hicks of New Mexico; Michelle Hill of El Paso, Texas; Pat Lykos of Houston; Dave McEachran of Bellingham, Wash.; Stacey McReynolds of San Diego; Brian McIntire of Cochise County, Ariz., and Chadwick Taylor of Topeka, Kan.
The names of the international prosecutors haven't yet been released because of security concerns, Koga said.