HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Jose Pablo Ananich will spend the next 20 years in federal prison for his role in a year-and-a-half-long drug trafficking conspiracy.
On Wednesday morning in the District Court of Guam, Ananich, a former Guam Police Department and Department of Corrections officer, appeared in court to be sentenced for 2021 charges stemming from an 8-pound package of methamphetamine found in the mail.
According to court documents, Ananich received packages of methamphetamine from co-defendant Andrew Philip Manibusan in Antioch, California, and distributed it on the island with another co-defendant, James Mafnas.
While Ananich faced a maximum of 25 years in federal prison for charges of conspiracy and attempted possession of 50 or more grams of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, along with carrying a firearm in the commission of a drug-trafficking crime, Ananich’s attorney, Joaquin “Jay” Arriola Jr., argued he should not receive a higher sentence than Mafnas and Manibusan, who were sentenced to 10 years and 14 years, respectively.
Arriola in particular primarily cited reasons for the more lenient sentence was because of Ananich’s cooperation with federal authorities that eventually led to Manibusan’s apprehension and “discontinued the conspiracy.”
Additionally, Ananich’s lack of violations while on pretrial release for nearly three years, Arriola argued, was another reason for a shorter sentence, considering Mafnas continuing to use drugs rendered his cooperation “useless.”
“Why should he get 20 (years) if he’s the only one who cooperated?” Arriola questioned.
Before Ananich made remarks to Senior District Judge John Coughenour, Arriola further stated that Ananich took responsibility for his actions.
“He’s not a broken man. … He’s a shameful man. … He knows deep down inside, he takes responsibility,” Arriola stated.
As for Ananich’s statements, he apologized to the people of Guam and discussed how a “horrible choice” led to his drug addiction.
“It turned me into one of the monsters I spent my life … protecting my family from,” Ananich said.
Cash, drugs, firearms
Assistant United States Attorney Rosetta San Nicolas, in response, recommended Ananich be sentenced to serve 22 years in federal prison and throughout her statements primarily cited the facts of the case, which not only included the 8-pound package of methamphetamine but dozens of pounds more found at his residence and in his vehicle.
San Nicolas described the amount, which added up to 46 pounds, as “remarkable.” A package recently found in the mail contained about 2 pounds of meth, which San Nicolas stated was the average amount of methamphetamine found in other cases.
San Nicolas also said the package that was tracked to Ananich’s residence was in a large Home Depot box.
San Nicolas then went on to detail that $146,728 in cash, six firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition were found on Ananich’s property and vehicle. San Nicolas argued Ananich’s cooperation with authorities did not involve wearing a wire or participating in a controlled buy.
San Nicolas stated information, which is filed under seal and not available to the public, Ananich gave about another individual was “useful.”
Following the recommendations, Coughenour sentenced Ananich to serve a total of 20 years in prison for his charges.
Arriola told The Guam Daily Post after the hearing that Ananich “has taken full responsibility for his action” and commented on the federal sentencing guidelines.
“The sentence imposed today reflects the harsh realities of federal sentencing guidelines and mandatory minimums,” he said.
Jose Pablo Ananich leaves the District Court of Guam in Hagåtña on Wednesday, April 3, 2024, after receiving a 20-year sentence.
