Judge orders detention of suspected ‘ice’ distributor

U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona has granted the U.S. government’s motion to keep a suspected methamphetamine distributor detained.

At a hearing on Friday, Manglona determined that Zhaosheng Zeng, through court-appointed counsel David Banes, failed to rebut the presumption in favor of pretrial detention.

Manglona remanded Zeng into the custody of the U.S. Marshal.

Banes had stated that Zeng’s spouse is willing to serve as third-party custodian and post Zeng $10,000 cash bail. Assistant U.S. attorney Ross Naughton opposed this.

Federal agents arrested Zeng on July 29 for allegedly conspiring with others to distribute “ice” on Saipan last year.

Zeng was arrested after an indictment was filed in federal court in July, charging him with a count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and three counts of distribution of methamphetamine. Zeng pleaded not guilty.

Jury trial will be on Oct. 6, 2014.