The sentencing stems from a plea agreement entered into between Lian and the federal government in which the defendant agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and possession with intent to distribute (methamphetamine).
The charges stem from a five-count indictment which charges Lian and co-defendant Huang Biao with selling a kilogram of “ice” to undercover agents in what is believed to be the largest methamphetamine bust in the history of the CNMI.
Chief Justice Alex Munson sentenced Lian to 135 months of imprisonment in a federal correctional institute to be followed by deportation. Lian, who previously was remanded into custody of the U.S. Marshals Service, now awaits relocation to a mainland federal facility pending designation by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons .
The case was investigated by agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration and was successfully prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James J. Benedetto.
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