Pāhoa, Hawaiʻi – A community tip led to the federal arrest of Shannan Hostetler, 54, of Pāhoa, on serious charges including intent to distribute and manufacture methamphetamine, intent to distribute cocaine, and unlawful possession of firearms and explosives. Hostetler, identified as a convicted felon from Arkansas with a past conviction for “cooking meth,” made his initial appearance in federal court on June 30, 2025.
The investigation began earlier this year when the Hawaiʻi Police Department (HPD) received information suggesting a known narcotics trafficker was frequently using Hostetler’s property as a stash location for firearms, money, and narcotics.
Acting on a federal search warrant, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed an operation on June 24, 2025, across two properties associated with Hostetler on Ocean View Parkway in the Black Sand subdivision of Pāhoa. The search yielded a significant seizure: approximately 220 grams of crystallized methamphetamine, around 459 grams of cocaine, and more than 1,700 grams of methamphetamine oil. Investigators also found materials strongly suggesting a methamphetamine-conversion lab was actively operating on the premises. Authorities described it as a “clandestine science experience” where Hostetler was “dabbling in attempting to make meth or meth products,” with crystallized meth found in a PVC-pipe device and liquid meth in glass vessels.
Alongside the drugs, law enforcement discovered a substantial arsenal. They initially seized seven firearms, including a Glock 43 handgun, a Charter Arms AR-7 Explorer Rifle, shotguns, and a bolt-action rifle, along with more than 6,000 rounds of ammunition and over $14,000 in U.S. currency.
The presence of suspected explosive devices escalated the operation. Bomb-squad personnel from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Maui Police Department, and the Kauaʻi Police Department were called in for assistance. They safely secured and removed these devices, which included “flash powder near a composition notebook filled with recipes and notes for making explosive compounds,” as well as “two partially constructed pipe bombs” and a cylindrical device resembling a homemade explosive.
According to federal agents, Hostetler allegedly stated he “placed a gun into a toilet bowl upon seeing law enforcement approach the premises.” He also reportedly claimed he possessed firearms for protection from a “known drug dealer who he believed might rob him.”
If convicted, Hostetler faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and fines of up to $10 million. While the charges are accusations and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty, U.S. Assistant Attorney Jonathan Slack has filed a motion to hold Hostetler without bail, citing flight risk and other concerns.
In a remarkable development less than 24 hours after the initial search concluded, an interested third party, having learned of the law enforcement activity, voluntarily turned over an additional twenty firearms. This further cache included at least five AR-15 style assault rifles, a .45 ACP carbine, a 12-gauge shotgun, and a 6.5 Grendel tactical rifle outfitted with a scope and bipod. Some of these additional firearms were reportedly loaded with extended magazines.
The success of this operation highlights the intensified efforts of local law enforcement. According to Captain Ed Buyten, commander of the Hawaiʻi Police Department’s unified Vice Section, which centralized its East and West Hawaiʻi operations six months prior, these new investigative efforts are leading to larger seizures of drugs and weapons on the island.
The case is being meticulously investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Hawaiʻi Police Department, with additional assistance from the Maui and Kauaʻi Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan D. Slack is prosecuting the case.