Judge David A. Wiseman dismissed the jurors after the empanelling and will hear opening statements this morning.
Assistant Attorneys General Russel Lorfing and Peter Prestley are prosecuting the case, while Chief Public Defender Adam Hardwicke and Assistant Public Defender Adam Miles are the counsels for Jing Xin Xiao.
Xiao, 41, has been charged with one count of trafficking of controlled substance, and one count of illegal possession of controlled substance.
Over 230 grams of “ice” worth $118,250 were seized by the CNMI Joint Customs and Department of Public Safety’s Drug Enforcement Task Force last April from Xiao, who uses the aliases “Hondan,” “Tasi,” and “Big Brother.”
Xiao did not keep all his drugs in the house and the main stash of “ice” was buried in the back of the residence near some trees, police said.
Police said a total of $1,229.17 was also found in Xiao’s possession, including marked currency, and other paraphernalia.
Xiao has denied the charges.
The court lowered Xiao’s bail to $50,000 from $100,000.
Xiao, who police said operated in the Papago area, had been a target of the local drug enforcement task force for nearly three months prior to his arrest last April.
