CHIEF Judge Ramona V. Manglona of the District Court for the NMI has sentenced Eugene Wong and Dwight Aldan to serve 57 months imprisonment each for possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine.
Wong, 31, was sentenced on May 12 while Aldan, 47, was sentenced on May 13. Both are U.S. citizens and residents of Saipan.
They will be placed on five years of supervised release after serving their time in prison. They will also perform 100 hours of community service and pay a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
Shawn N. Anderson, the U.S. attorney for the Districts of Guam and CNMI, in a statement noted that defendants convicted of a federal drug offense may no longer qualify for certain benefits.
“We continue to partner with federal and CNMI law enforcement agencies to combat drug trafficking in our islands,” he added. “Together, we will hold those who poison our communities accountable for their conduct.”
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Bill Bodner said, “Methamphetamine and other highly addictive synthetic drugs pose a significant threat to the island community.”
“Through the collaboration with our law enforcement partners we continue to disrupt the distribution of dangerous drugs and hold those responsible,” he added.
For his part, Inspector in Charge Rafael Nuñez of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, San Francisco Division, said: “Postal inspectors are dedicated to protecting postal customers and employees from all kinds of harmful material in the mail. We hope this sentence sends a message to drug traffickers not to use the mail to transport controlled substances to Saipan or anywhere else.”
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, on Dec. 18, 2020, CNMI Customs officers arrested Wong at a U.S. Post Office on Saipan after he retrieved a mail parcel containing methamphetamine.
Lab analysis determined that the package contained 111 grams of methamphetamine with a purity of 92%.
Customs officers discovered the package during joint surveillance with the DEA and investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The investigation revealed that Wong intended to distribute methamphetamine to various people on Saipan.
On Dec. 22, 2020, CNMI Customs interdicted another parcel containing 56 grams of methamphetamine with a purity of 85%. Aldan retrieved the parcel from the post office and intended to distribute the drugs on Saipan with Wong.
The combined total of the packages contained approximately 1,670 individual packets of methamphetamine, with a street value of more than $83,500, authorities said.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Albert S. Flores Jr.
At the sentencing hearing Wong was represented by attorneys Mark Hanson and Vince Seman while Aldan was represented by attorney Robert T. Torres.
The defendants were charged and indicted separately.
