Department of Public Safety Commissioner Ramon C. Mafnas and U.S. Marshal Frank Leon Guerrero jointly announced the results of the three-day sex offenders compliance operations dubbed “Operation Deviant Guard” conducted this month.
“The efforts of these dedicated law enforcement professionals were instrumental in the successful execution of Operation ‘Deviant Guard.’ This initiative is the first of many operations planned for the future in an effort to protect and safeguard our community and most especially the safety of our children in the community,” they said in a media conference on Friday.
Authorities said 50 offenders were targeted for compliance check.
Forty sex offenders were reverified during the three-day, multi-agency operations that involved a 15-member task force.
Of the 10 sex offenders, five arrests were made for non-compliance that included possession and cultivation of marijuana worth $7,000; two sex offenders were deported to the Philippines and Palau; while the remaining three sex offenders are believed to be in various locations in the U.S. and are now subjects of criminal investigations.
During the sex offender compliance operations, marijuana plants were seized from various residences around Saipan, processed as evidence and turned over to narcotics officers for follow-up investigations.
Mafnas and Leon Guerrero thanked DPS, the CNMI Office of Parole, the CNMI Office of Adult Probation, the Guam Police Department, the Judiciary of Guam Marshals Division and the Guam Department of Corrections.
They also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the CNMI Attorney General’s Office for being the prosecutorial partners in the campaign.
Mafnas and Leon Guerrero were joined in the media conference by CNMI Chief Parole Officer Joseph Guerrero, Senior Inspector John Untalan of the U.S. Marshals Service and CNMI Sex Offender Registry Coordinator PO2 Jason Tarkong.
Mafnas said CNMI authorities in collaboration with their federal counterparts will “be persistent” in their commitment to ensure the safety of children and the community.
Tarkong said they are updating the list of 134 registered sex offenders in the CNMI. Some have already passed away while others are in jail or have already complied with the 10-year registration period.
Untalan, who is also the U.S. Marshals sex offender investigation coordinator, said over 400 sex offenders registered on Guam. They conducted similar sex offenders compliance operations last February that targeted 150 sex offenders on Guam.
Tarkong said House Bill 17-111, or the Sex Offenders Registration Act, was signed into law Friday, making the CNMI compliant with federal law. This ensures that the CNMI will continue receiving the Justice Assistance Grant.
Under the previous local law, sex offenders who failed to register were charged with a misdemeanor. Under the new, they will be charged with a felony.
