A 52-year-old Captain Cook man was sentenced to 121 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, after he was caught trying to carry methamphetamine, fentanyl and heroin through Kona International Airport in boots stuffed inside his carry-on luggage. Kevin James Hallum had planned to fly the drugs from Hawaii Island to Alaska, prosecutors said.
According to Hawaii News Now, Hallum was convicted in July of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl and heroin. The outlet reports he was sentenced Friday to the 121-month term plus five years of supervised release, closing out a case that began at a routine airport security line more than a year earlier.
Caught at the Checkpoint, Then He Ran
Prosecutors said Hallum attempted to pass through security at Kona International Airport on July 25, 2025, with drugs concealed inside work boots packed in his carry-on bag. Transportation Security Administration officers found the drugs hidden inside socks that had been tucked into the boots during screening, the station's report states.
Once TSA officers began inspecting his luggage, Hallum tried to grab the drugs back and then fled the checkpoint entirely, according to prosecutors cited by the same outlet. The attempted getaway did not keep the case from moving forward, and he was ultimately convicted at trial in July.
Judge Cites False Testimony in Handing Down Sentence
At sentencing, U.S. District Judge Micah W. J. Smith determined that Hallum had obstructed justice by giving false testimony during both his trial and the sentencing proceedings, per the report. That finding factored into the 121-month sentence he ultimately received. Homeland Security Investigations handled the investigation that led to his conviction.
A separate Big Island Now report notes that Hallum had pleaded not guilty back in August 2025 to the same charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl and heroin, before the case went to trial. The same outlet's coverage also references shoes containing a mix of drugs including heroin, fentanyl pills, ketamine, methamphetamine, brown sugar heroin, acid tabs, Xanax bars and Soma pills, though it is not confirmed whether that description refers to this same airport incident.
With sentencing now complete, Hallum faces five years of court supervision once his prison term ends, closing out a case that started with a pair of boots at a Big Island security checkpoint and ended with a federal judge finding he lied under oath to try to beat it.
