A man who allegedly attempted to smuggle methamphetamine or \u201cice\u201d into the CNMI through the U.S. Postal Service has pleaded guilty at the U.S. District Court for the NMI. <\/p>\n
Zhang Yuzhu pleaded guilty last week to possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.<\/p>\n
U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona accepted Zhang\u2019s guilty plea after finding him fully competent to enter a knowing and voluntary plea.<\/p>\n
Manglona vacated Zhang\u2019s jury trial and ordered the court clerk to unseal Zhang\u2019s plea agreement. <\/p>\n
Zhang will be sentenced on Friday, Aug. 25, 2023, at 1:30pm. Manglona remanded him back to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in the CNMI Superior Court, following a motion from the Office of the Attorney General, Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho dismissed with prejudice the local drug case against Zhang. <\/p>\n
Zhang, 48, was accused of attempting to smuggle from California through the mail 4.9 lbs of methamphetamine. The seized contraband had a street value of approximately $700,000, authorities said. <\/p>\n
In local court, Zhang was charged with importation of contraband, trafficking, and possession of a controlled substance. <\/p>\n
According to Saipan Tribune archives, the drug contraband was discovered on March 19 during a Customs routine inspection of a large parcel addressed to Zhang. Inside the parcel, Customs officer Franklin Sablan said he saw three wooden cases containing chinaware. Upon further inspection of the wooden cases, Sablan noticed a square object wrapped in duct tape under the chinaware inside the wooden case. While examining the square object, the officer noticed white crystalline substance spilling into the wooden case.<\/p>\n
After procuring the parcel and its contents as evidence, the items were transported to the Customs office at the Francisco C. Ada\/Saipan International Airport for processing and testing, where it turned out positive for methamphetamine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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