HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — A leader of a drug organization was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison.
On Wednesday, Melvin John Salas Naputi appeared in the District Court of Guam to be sentenced for attempted possession with intent to distribute 50 or more grams of methamphetamine and felony possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Before being sentenced, Senior Judge Alex Munson heard arguments from attorneys on their recommendations on the sentence Naputi, 51, should receive.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office, according to its sentencing memorandum, requested Naputi serve 360 months, or 30 years, for the charges. Federal prosecutors argued the circumstances in Naputi’s case warranted the 30-year sentence.
“(The) defendant has been involved in the long-term distribution of methamphetamine in Guam. (The) defendant was armed while he sold drugs. (The) defendant’s reputation among his co-conspirators and drug customers is one of defiance: defiance of the law, defiance of law enforcement (and) defiance of the Court,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated in its memorandum.
“He has gifted members of our community with addiction, permanent brain damage in long-term drug users, financial harm and even violence. The defendant has met Guam’s demand for methamphetamine. While meeting this demand, he has benefited from Guam’s increasing appetite for methamphetamine. These risks can be mitigated by a term of imprisonment for 30 years,” the federal prosecutors added.
In response, defense attorney Jehan’Ad Martinez argued Naputi should be sentenced in a range between 235 and 293 months, or around 20 to 25 years, in part, because of the “outdated” guidelines used to sentence methamphetamine offenders.
However, Martinez also discussed Naputi’s “troubled upbringing,” adding that Naputi has a need for mental health counseling that would allow him to become a law-abiding citizen.
“Mr. Naputi would benefit from mental health counseling, as he has difficulty expressing his emotions and worries extensively. Once he receives the appropriate treatment and serves time for the crimes he has committed, Mr. Naputi will be able to return to his community as a law-abiding citizen,” Martinez stated in his sentencing memorandum.
Following the arguments, Munson decided to sentence Naputi to serve 30 years in prison and supervised release for 10 years.
Apprehension
Following the sentencing, the Guam Police Department issued a press release stating Naputi’s arrest came as a result of an investigation launched by GPD’s Special Investigation Section with a multiagency task force.
The Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation consisted of GPD, the Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency; U.S. Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, GPD stated in the release.
“The multiagency cooperation and collaboration in this investigation led to the arrests of other co-conspirators and participants in this case and ultimately to Naputi, who took a leadership role in this drug organization,” GPD said in the release.
According to Naputi’s plea agreement, which was accepted in June 2023, Naputi was first found with drugs – including meth and cocaine – paraphernalia and packaging material and several weapons with ammunition in August 2018 when U.S. Marshals executed a federal arrest warrant at a hotel room where Naputi was staying with his girlfriend.
Naputi’s girlfriend told officers the drugs, guns and ammunition belonged to Naputi.
A package intercepted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in April 2021, found to contain about two pounds of 100% pure meth, was linked to Naputi. The package, after being intercepted and the drugs replaced with a sham substance, was delivered to a Mangilao residence, where the package was breached.
Law enforcement entered the residence. Naputi was identified before he “climbed out of a window and ran away,” leaving behind a backpack, cellphones, his vehicle and the package, court documents state.
Authorities found the package in a bedroom, along with $24,075 in cash, plastic baggies, three scales, calibration weights, 1.8 pounds of meth and a nasal spray bottle in Naputi’s bag. In his vehicle, $56,000 was found in a plastic bag and $15,010 was found in another bag.
Federal authorities were able to obtain samples of DNA from Naputi’s vehicle.
“The contents of Naputi’s phone were extracted, revealing drug conversations,” according to the plea agreement.
When arrested, Naputi had in total 3,442 grams of methamphetamine, or about 7.5 pounds and $219,144 in cash, GPD said in its release.
While the federal task force investigation remains ongoing, GPD stated, “The fine work and dedication by law enforcement is a testament to the commitment and oath. Our law enforcement and justice system continues to protect and serve our island.”
Melvin John Naputi
