Second Man Charged with Murder Relating to Methamphetamine Trafficking

News Release from U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Hawaii, Tuesday, March 10, 2026

HONOLULU – A second man, Taliau Tauvela-Afalava, 31 of Aiea, Hawaii, was charged and made his initial appearance in court today for his role in a murder (of Malakai "Mo" Maumalanga, a fake gang counselor paid by ‘Adult Friends for Youth’--editor) stemming from the victim’s alleged failure to pay for methamphetamine. This superseding indictment adds Tauvela-Afalava as a co-defendant with Filimone Tavake, 38, of San Francisco, whom the grand jury indicted on March 21, 2024 and law enforcement arrested on March 22, 2024.

According to court documents, on March 27, 2021, Tauvela-Afalava and Tavake allegedly killed the victim in connection with a drug distribution conspiracy.  The victim was shot multiple times as he was standing outside his home.  Video surveillance footage obtained during the investigation showed a vehicle with no license plates driving near the victim’s home shortly before the shooting.  Subsequently, the vehicle parked and video captured two males walking toward the street where the victim’s residence was located.  A few minutes later, gun shots were heard on the surveillance video, and the same two males were seen running from the direction of the victim’s residence toward the vehicle.  Law enforcement identified and located the vehicle seen in the video.  A law enforcement analysis connected the vehicle’s infotainment system to phone numbers linked to Tavake and Tauvela-Afalava.

Tauvela-Afalava is charged with carry, use and discharge of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime; causing the death of a person through use of a firearm; killing while engaged in conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; and conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

If convicted, Tauvela-Afalava faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson for the District of Hawaii; Special Agent in Charge David K. Porter of the FBI Honolulu Field Office; and Interim Chief Rade K. Vanic of the Honolulu Police Department made the announcement.

“The Second Superseding Indictment charging Taliau Tauvela-Afalava as the second shooter in the death of victim Malakai Maumalanga demonstrates our firm commitment to investigating and charging the violent crime often associated with drug trafficking,” said United States Attorney Ken Sorenson.

“These allegations underscore the devastating reality that where illegal drugs flow, violence inevitably follows,” said FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge David Porter.  “The FBI, alongside our local partners, is committed to protecting our communities by removing the most violent offenders from our streets.”

“The Honolulu Police Department worked closely with the FBI during this investigation,” said Lieutenant Deena Thoemmes, HPD Criminal Investigation Division, Homicide Detail.  “We remain committed to partnering with federal authorities to hold those responsible for violent crimes accountable.”

The charges in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.  In the case of conviction, any sentence would be imposed by a United States District Judge based on the statutory sentencing factors and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.

The FBI and Honolulu Police Department are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Nammar and Trial Attorney Christina Taylor (detailee) of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section are prosecuting the case.

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Court documents reveal murdered youth gang ‘counselor’ was allegedly involved in drug ring

KITV March 29, 2024: … The suspect in a nearly three-year-old murder case was indicted earlier this month. The FBI arrested 36-year-old Filimone Tavake in California for gunning down youth gang counselor Malakai "Mo" Maumalanga in the driveway of his Aiea home in March 2021.

Documents filed in a federal court Thursday allege Maumalanga and Tavake were involved in a methamphetamine drug ring in Honolulu at the time of the murder.

During the investigation, the FBI, along with Honolulu Police Department, found Tavake was supplying Maumalanga with drugs to sell, and about eight pounds of meth was found at Maumalanga's home. Text messages between the two men were consistent with drug distribution and Tavake threatened Maumalanga if he didn't pay for the drugs….

At the time of the murder, friends and family described Maulanaga as a reformed gang member after spending one year in prison for his involvement in a drive-by shooting as a young adult. After he was released, he earned a Master's Degree in social work. He was a program director at Adult Friends for Youth, a non-profit organization that helps turn the lives around of at-risk youth….

(CLUE: Counselor position helped him meet underlings needed to sling the meth.)

read … Court documents reveal murdered youth gang counselor was allegedly involved in drug ring

2024 OHA Check Register: $10,202.50  Adult Friends for Youth (Fake gang counselor who was moving multi-pound quantities of meth until he was killed over drug debt.)

SA: Youth counselor killed in 2021 over debt involving meth

HNN: Shocking new details link 2021 murder victim to methamphetamine distribution ring

PDF: INDICTMENT