HILO — A Washington man was sentenced to federal prison April 21 for cocaine trafficking on the Big Island, Hawaii County police said today.

U.S. District Judge Alan Ezra sentenced 27-year-old Tyler Carpenter of Longview, Washington, to 126 months in federal prison and 60 months of probation.

Carpenter was convicted of cocaine possession and conspiring to distribute more than 5 kilograms of the drug.

Hawaii police said the case originated during a marijuana eradication mission on May 31, 2005, when officers served a state search warrant at the Fern Acres home of Matthew Browne and Blake McMillen. There, police discovered an indoor marijuana growing operation. They also recovered $14,300 in cash and approximately 4 kilograms of cocaine with a street value of more than $200,000.

Hawaii County detectives linked the case to Washington state and worked with the Drug Enforcement Administration in Hilo and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Honolulu, which prosecuted the case in federal court.