The father of professional golfer Tadd Fujikawa yesterday was sentenced to at least a year in prison after he pleaded guilty to two counts of dealing crystal methamphetamine to undercover police officers.

Since his arrest last year, Derrick Fujikawa has turned his life around, completing a drug-treatment program on the Mainland and regaining his old job as a construction supervisor, said his lawyer, Victor Bakke.

Fujikawa began using drugs 20 years ago and his life eventually spiraled out of control, sinking to the point where he was a "chronic" — street slang for a constant "ice" user, Bakke told Circuit Judge Steven Alm.

"He was basically a chronic in the streets. It's embarrassing," Bakke said.

In a plea agreement reached with prosecutors, Fujikawa admitted to two counts of second-degree methamphetamine trafficking and faced as much as 10 years in prison, with a mandatory time behind bars of one to four years.

Alm credited Fujikawa, 45, with voluntarily completing drug treatment at his own expense and cited the strong support from Fujikawa's family and friends as he sentenced the defendant.

He ordered Fujikawa to serve one year in Halawa Correctional Facility. The Hawai'i Paroling Authority could order Fujikawa to spend more time behind bars when it meets later to consider his case.

Alm said "methamphetamine and cocaine still totally dominate the courts."

"They must be involved in 80 percent of the cases we see. Nobody is immune from ending up with an ice problem," the judge said.

Fujikawa apologized to his family and friends "for the heartache and embarrassment I caused them."

"I hope and pray that people can learn from my mistakes and not let crystal methamphetamine control their lives," he said.

Tadd Fujikawa and his mother did not attend the court hearing; numerous other relatives and supporters were in attendance.