$100K bail for man caught with 111 grams of ‘ice’

A man recently caught with 111 grams of methamphetamine or “ice” on his person is facing two counts—one for trafficking and one for possession of an illegal substance.

During a bail hearing yesterday in Superior Court, Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho imposed a $100,000 bail on James F. Basa Camacho.

His preliminary hearing was then scheduled on July 19, 2024 at 10am and an arraignment hearing on July 29, 2024 at 9am. Public defender Charlene Brown will be representing James Camacho with Chief Prosecutor Chester Hinds representing the government.

According to court documents on July 11, 2024, at 4:3p, the Department of Public Safety dispatched units to Aiko’s Deli in Garapan where officers identified James Camacho, who had an active bench warrant for his arrest. Officers arrived onsite and confirmed Camacho’s presence, verifying the warrant issued by Associate Judge Theresa Kim-Tenorio on July 7, 2024.

Officers then noticed a black handbag on Camacho and when they asked if it belonged to him, Camacho refused to answer. After Camacho denied consent for a search, officers arrested him, and read him his Miranda rights, which Camacho ignored. During the transport to the Department of Corrections, Camacho mentioned wanting to hand over the bag to a CNMI Drug Court case worker, hinting it contained incriminating items.

The report further stated that upon arriving at DOC, officers conducted an inventory of the bag, finding a black Pelican case with Ziplock baggies of crystalline substances, cash, a scale, and drug paraphernalia. The DPS registered the incident and called for assistance from the Drug Enforcement Task Force and Crime Scene Technician.

Detective Melvin Cadiang and task force officer Jonathan Aguon arrived later that night and tested the substances, confirming them as methamphetamine with a total weight of approximately 111.7 grams.