Prison visit turns to drug bust

The Superior Court imposed a $50,000 bail on a woman who was busted last Wednesday with over $1,000 worth of illegal drugs while she was about to enter the Department of Corrections.

After her bail hearing last Friday at the Superior Court in Susupe, Ilayza Sanchez Matagolai, 37, is facing charges of illegal possession of a controlled substance, trafficking, and promoting major/minor prison contraband.

Matagolai appeared in Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho’s courtroom last Friday in the custody of the Department of Corrections.

Matagolai’s preliminary hearing date was set for July 26, 2024 at 2:30pm, and an arraignment for Aug. 5, 2024 at 9am. She will be facing prosecution by Chef Prosecutor Chester Hinds on behalf of the CNMI, and she will be represented by Chief Public Defender Douglas Hartig. After the hearing Matagolai was returned to the custody of DOC.

According to court documents, on Wednesday July 17, 2024 at 1:54pm the Department of Public Safety dispatched police officers to DOC after two black Ziploc baggies containing crystal-like substance was found on a female later identified as Matagolai who was entering DOC for the visitation of inmate Frank Pangelinan.

The police officers who arrived at DOC were informed that Matagolai was searched by female Corrections officers prior to her entering the visitation area. There the officers found in the seam of Matagolai’s pants a piece of envelope with two black Ziploc baggies containing a crystal-like substance. Drug Enforcement Task Force officers arrived at DOC and at 2:38pm tested the substance with a narcotics identification kit. The results were presumptive positive for methamphetamine.

Matagolai was placed under arrest and brought to DOC booking for processing.

DETF officers then procured the evidence and at the DETF office on Capitol Hill, they weighed the two Ziploc baggies individually and both had a total weight at approximately 2.37 gross grams with a street value of between $350 to $400.

DOC officers then noticed Matagolai’s vehicle was still parked on the premises. The car was identified by DOC officers as the one Matagolai usually uses when she goes to DOC for visitation and drop-off days.

DPS K9 unit was then dispatched to DOC to conduct a vehicle sweep on the vehicle. The K9 alerted officers to the front passenger door seam and the said vehicle was towed to the DPS impound lot as evidence.

A search warrant was then signed by Associate Judge Teresa Kim Tenorio on the same day for the search of the said vehicle. Upon searching the vehicle, a brown handbag was found on the leg area of the driver side which had needles, $20.91 in cash, receipts, a Vipertek Taser, two iPhones, keys, a cut up straw, two cases inside a pink case, and a black Beats case. In the pink case, officers found two clear Ziploc baggies containing crystal-like substance, a mini-scale, multiple black empty Ziploc baggies, a lighter, a cut up straw with residue and Matagolai’s firearms I.D. with court documents. In the black Beats case officers found seven Ziploc baggies with crystal-like substance, empty Ziploc baggies, a lighter, and two used/unused needles.

The two Ziploc baggies in the pink case were tested with the TruNarc device and each tested positive for methamphetamine. Each Ziploc baggie was weighed individually and both weighed at approximately 4.72 gross grams. Officers also tested one of the seven Ziploc baggies in the black Beats case with the TruNarc device and it too tested positive for methamphetamine. Each of the Ziploc baggies were weighed and all together weighed at approximately 3.83 gross grams. All together the total weight was approximately 8.55 gross grams with a street value of between $1,000 to $1,350. All evidence were then procured by DETF and turned into evidence.