An environmental court judge banned 55-year-old Armando Posadas from entering the Pūpūkea Marine Life Conservation District for six months during his sentencing on Tuesday for taking 55 ʻopihi from the protected area.
On March 26, 2025, after receiving an anonymous tip, state conservation officers located and cited Posadas and 53-year-old Elmer Ceredon, who were in possession of 235 pieces of ʻopihi. It is illegal to take any mollusk from the MLCD, a protected area.
On Tuesday, Posadas accepted a plea deal, which includes the geographic ban, $1,000 in fines, forfeiture of his equipment, six months probation and proof he has complied with all the terms by Nov. 18. The maximum penalty for a petty misdemeanor is 30 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Denise Antolini, chairperson of Mālama Pūpūkea-Waimea, the community organization that watches over the MLCD, praised the work of the Department of the Attorney General Criminal Justice Division and DOCARE to protect the Pūpūkea Marine Life Conservation District.
“The substantial fines and conditions imposed yesterday by the Hawaii Environmental Court in the Posadas case, as well as two additional MLCD cases that involved illegal fishing and/or harvesting of ʻopihi in this state-protected marine reserve, show that these cases are being taken seriously by law enforcement and the courts,” said Antolini in a statement.
Ceredon is still waiting to stand trial for allegedly taking 203 ʻopihi from the MLCD.