Police say a Thursday night drug bust that netted three pounds of crystal methamphetamine from a Kalihi home is one of the biggest they've seen in years.

At a press conference at the Kalihi station yesterday, Maj. Kurt Kendro said the amount of meth or "ice" collected in the raid is the largest he had encountered in 22 years with HPD.

"The one thing that just stands out in my mind on this one is, if you divide up all that ice ... that's a minimum of 3,000 hits," said Kendro, who supervises district operations. "That's a tremendous amount."

Police arrested Romulo E. Lomboy, 57, around 6:20 p.m. Thursday outside the home where he was a tenant at 1545 Ahonui St.

In addition to the three pounds of ice — said to be worth about $230,000 — police also recovered jewelry and $3,000 in cash.

Police arrested more than a dozen street dealers for selling ice last month, but the individual amounts recovered were less than a gram, Kendro said. There are about 453.6 grams in a pound.

Lomboy is expected to be formally charged today with five counts of drug trafficking in the second degree, one count of drug trafficking in the first degree and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Methamphetamine trafficking in the first degree is a class A felony that carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. A conviction for trafficking in the second degree can result in a sentence of up to 10 years.

Police said Lomboy was unemployed and had no prior convictions. Bail is expected to be set at $100,000 following the charges.

Lomboy's residence borders Kuhio Park Terrace and is in a federal Weed and Seed district. Linapuni Elementary School is also down the road, and young children frequently play in the streets.

If convicted, he could face harsher penalties and a longer prison term because of this, Kendro said. Police plan to meet with the U.S. Attorney's office next week to discuss possible federal charges.

Officers from the District Five (Kalihi) Crime Reduction Unit had been tracking the case since receiving calls from neighbors about drug dealing on the streets in late May. The mission, called "Operation 8 Ball," took less than a month, Kendro said.

Police conducted several undercover buys prior to obtaining a warrant and making the arrest, Kendro said.

Ice-related crimes, like "burglary, theft, breaking into cars — that all has a connection to the work that these cops did," he said.