Pahoa, Hawaiʻi, saw a routine patrol turn into a serious gun bust on March 8, when police arrested a 42-year-old Puna man after finding an unserialized 9mm semiautomatic pistol inside a pickup truck in the Nanawale Estates subdivision, authorities said. Officers initially detained the suspect on outstanding bench warrants, then detectives secured a search warrant for the vehicle and recovered what investigators described as a "ghost gun." He was charged the next day and is being held on high bail ahead of a Hilo court appearance.
According to the Hawai'i Police Department, Puna patrol officers checking a powerline road at about 7:34 a.m. came across two vehicles, one of them a white Toyota pickup with Kawika Benny Kahee standing outside. Officers arrested Kahee on two outstanding bench warrants and said they noticed a black semiautomatic pistol on the truck’s front passenger seat. Detectives later executed a search warrant on the pickup and recovered an unloaded 9mm pistol with no serial number. Police say Kahee is barred from owning or possessing firearms because of a prior felony conviction involving violence.
Charges and court date
Big Island Now reports that Kawika Benny Kahee, 42, of Pāhoa was charged March 9 with Place to Keep Pistols/Revolvers, Ownership or Possession Prohibited and Possession of Prohibited Weapons. His bail in that case was set at $120,000. He was also booked on the two outstanding bench warrants, which carried a combined bail of $15,000, and was scheduled to make his initial appearance in Hilo District Court.
Why ghost guns matter
Unserialized "ghost" firearms are notoriously hard for investigators to trace and have become a key focus of federal firearms regulation. In March 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld an ATF rule that allows certain parts kits and unfinished receivers to be treated as firearms, according to CBS News. Supporters say the rule has helped choke off part of the market for untraceable weapons, while law enforcement and policy experts point out that enforcement and how some items are classified can still be complicated.
Police are asking anyone who may have information about the March 8 incident to contact Detective Joseph Picadura of the Area I Criminal Investigation Section at (808) 961-2375 or [email protected]. Anonymous tips can be made to Hawai‘i Island Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300, according to the Hawai'i Police Department.
Local enforcement trends
Kahee’s arrest is the latest in a series of weapons and drug-related cases on the Big Island that have kept officers busy. In a separate investigation earlier this year in Paradise Park, police said they uncovered more than 10 pounds of meth and an unserialized handgun, as detailed in Puna Bust: 10 Pounds Of Meth.
As with any criminal case, Kahee is presumed innocent unless and until he is found guilty in court. Court records and local reporting indicate he was scheduled for an initial appearance in Hilo District Court following the charges, according to Big Island Now.
