Maui police seized cockfighting gaffs, multiple firearms, and more than USD 1,000 in cash during a search of a Kahului home on Tuesday. The police also confiscated marijuana plants.
Officers from the Wailuku Patrol and Special Response Team went to the Kahului home at around 7:17 am to execute the search warrants, arresting the 34-year-old Chaz Yamashita and charging him with multiple drug and firearm offenses. Possession of cockfighting peripherals is prohibited in the United States.
According to police, officers found 35 cockfighting gaffs which are sharp blades that are attached to the legs of cocks. The authorities also found a .304 ghost gun rifle, a fully-automatic AR-15 ghost gun, a semiautomatic 9mm ghost gun, four pistol lower kits, one pistol upper kit, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
Yamashita was arrested and charged with 25 complaints, including 16 weapons-related charges, six drug-related charges (including one for having a controlled substance near a school), one count of possessing a gambling device for the cock fighting equipment, and one count for contempt of court.
Yamashita is already out of jail after posting the USD 35,100 bond, according to police.
