Ye Fang
YE Fang, also known as “Batu,” has been extradited from Palau to Saipan to face in federal court the charge of conspiracy to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine.
Fang is accused of conspiring to smuggle methamphetamine in lava lamps from California to Saipan and distribute it.
Fang, through court-appointed attorney David Banes, waived the reading of the charge and his rights and entered a plea of not guilty at an initial appearance hearing on May 3, 2024.
Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona of the District Court for the NMI accepted Fang’s plea of not guilty and scheduled a jury trial for July 9, 2024, at 10 a.m.
Judge Manglona also granted the request of Assistant U.S. Attorney Albert Flores for an order of detention pending trial against Fang.
Fang, 41, is charged with one count of “Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or More of a Mixture or Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Methamphetamine, its Salts, Isomers, or Salts of its Isomers.”
In Palau, Fang, along with two other Chinese nationals, was arrested in January 2024 for their involvement in the homicide of a tour guide.
In CNMI Superior Court, Fang has a pending arrest warrant for theft, trafficking, and illegal possession of a controlled substance.
According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, Fang directed and coordinated the shipment from California and receipt on Saipan of the lava lamps containing methamphetamine.
Last year, the CNMI Division of Customs and Biosecurity seized 10 pounds or 4,535.92 grams of liquid methamphetamine valued at $1.8 million after inspecting two packages that contained four lava lamps at the U.S. Post Office in Chalan Kanoa.
