In the midst of this COVID-19 pandemic, many illicit drugs, particularly crystal meth, are now coming from the U.S. mainland and are smuggled into the CNMI through mail and packages at the U.S. Post Office, according to two CNMI officials.<\/p>\n
At a news briefing at the Division of Customs last Friday, Finance Secretary David DLG Atalig and Customs director Jose Mafnas Sr. also disclosed that the current street value of \u201cice\u201d in the CNMI is now at $600 per gram, which is very high, indicating that the supply is low.<\/p>\n
Atalig, Mafnas, and Customs planner and public information officer Reina C. Camacho highlighted these points in disclosing Customs\u2019 interception of over 300 grams of meth or \u201cice\u201d and other illicit drugs at the U.S. Post Office in Chalan Kanoa in the last 45 days.<\/p>\n
They said cocaine and LSD were among the other illicit drugs that were being imported via mail.<\/p>\n
They estimated that the 239.5 grams of \u201cice\u201d intercepted last October and the 65 grams that were seized last September had a combined street value of $182,700 <\/p>\n
Most illicit drugs in the CNMI used to be smuggled from China.<\/p>\n
In fiscal year 2020, Customs intercepted 1,072.71 grams of \u201cice\u201d worth $643,626, and seized 1,492 grams of marijuana. The total street value of the confiscated marijuana was not indicated.<\/p>\n
Manfas said that Customs was already intercepting drugs at the post office in the last four to five weeks but they did not move in immediately as they wanted to make sure that \u201cwe make an arrest and not just confiscate the drugs.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the assistance of their partners in law enforcement, federal and local, Mafnas said they waited until people claimed their package and then from there they made the arrests. <\/p>\n
\u201cNow that there are people who\u2019ve been arrested for this, we want to share this information with the public,\u201d Mafnas said.<\/p>\n
Besides illicit drugs, Customs also seized several counterfeit goods. Because the CNMI Customs Division in a member of the OCEANIA Customs organization, they\u2019re committed to going after fake goods entering the CNMI.<\/p>\n
He said all these interceptions at the post office wouldn\u2019t have been successful if it weren\u2019t for the assistance and the cooperation of the U.S. Postal Office and the U.S. Postal Inspectors Service. \u201cI am so grateful to the postmaster, Mr. Harry Wilcox, and his staff for cooperating and assisting us,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Whenever Customs officers examine the mail\u2014not opening it but just examining it\u2014and if there\u2019s anything suspicious about the mail, the mail is placed on hold. \u201cThat mail is not going to be put in the mailbox, only the yellow card. So when the owner of that mail comes to pick it up, that\u2019s when we do the full inspection. And then if we discover any illicit contraband, that\u2019s when we make an arrest,\u201d Mafnas said.<\/p>\n
He said the interception of 239.5 grams of \u201cice\u201d at the post office was from one package and one of their biggest seizures so far. <\/p>\n
Mafnas said they made more than one arrest and the suspects are now facing charges in court.<\/p>\n
For counterfeit goods, Camacho said items seized had the brands Gucci, Nike, and other names. He said the counterfeit goods were intercepted at the seaport and airport.<\/p>\n
Mafnas said that, according to the CNMI Drug Enforcement Task Force and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force, their information is that the \u201cice\u201d supply in the CNMI is very low. \u201cIt\u2019s like the bottom of the barrel,\u201d Mafnas said.<\/p>\n
Mafnas said that, based on his experience, the illegal drugs are coming from all ports, that\u2019s why all the ports, including those on Tinian and Rota, are fully manned. <\/p>\n
Atalig said they have Customs officers at the post office and even at smaller branches to ensure that even the presence of the officers speaks of the continued fight against drugs.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously due to COVID, they\u2019re trying to mail it to multiple addresses and as well as to multiple individuals, some as a test to see if it goes through, until the bigger amounts coming in,\u201d Atalig said.<\/p>\n
He said they\u2019re keeping an eye even on the small amounts.<\/p>\n
Mafnas said the drug of choice in the CNMI is still \u201cice\u201d and that all the drugs they\u2019ve been intercepting right now are coming from the U.S. mainland.<\/p>\n
Mafnas said there is a daily mail service, in contrast to the low volume of cargo coming from China these days.<\/p>\n
Atalig said there is less shipment leaving Asian countries during pandemic whereas there\u2019s no pause in commerce or mail in the U.S. mainland. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo we have, in fact, a high number or orders coming in from outside vendors. There\u2019s a lot more activity being done online and using the mail,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Atalig said those are probably contributing reasons why they are seeing the drug smuggling activity coming in from the mainland versus the Asian countries.<\/p>\n
He thanked the Customs Division for its \u201coutstanding work in intercepting these illicit drugs.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot only are we fighting the pandemic. We\u2019re also fighting this war on drugs and we want to keep these items [out],\u201d Atalig said.<\/p>\n
He said the price of \u201cice\u201d in the CNMI now is high, which is an indicator of the \u201cgreat job that we\u2019re doing here at Customs.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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