SHAWN N. Anderson, United States attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that Chun Yang and Yurong Wang, citizens of the People’s Republic of China, were sentenced by the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands for conspiracy to possess over 50 grams of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841(a)(1)
Chun Yang, 46, was sentenced to 70 months incarceration, five years of supervised release following release, 100 hours of community service in lieu of a fine, and a $100 special assessment fee. Chun Yang was also ordered to report to U.S. immigration officials for deportation proceedings upon release from prison.
Yurong Wang, 50, was sentenced to 46 months incarceration, five years of supervised release following release, 100 hours of community service in lieu of a fine, and a $100 special assessment fee. Yuron Wang was also ordered to report to U.S. immigration officials for deportation proceedings upon release from prison.
On June 21, 2022, CNMI Customs and Biosecurity Agents discovered 1,809.80 grams of methamphetamine inside of a mail parcel during a routine inspection at the U.S. Post Office on Saipan. The parcel was mailed from California. Upon discovery of the methamphetamine, agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration joined the investigation. On June 22, 2022, DEA and the CNMI Department of Public Safety Drug Enforcement Task Force conducted surveillance while the parcel was claimed from the post office, transported after exchanges between multiple persons and vehicles, and ultimately delivered to Wang. After receiving the package, Yurong Wang brought it to an apartment where she met Cung Yang and Xing Rui Gao, also a PRC citizen. The three individuals intended to distribute the drugs on Saipan. They were promptly arrested after opening the package.
Xing Rui Gao was charged separately and pled guilty on Oct. 4, 2023. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 23, 2024. None of the defendants had lawful immigration status at the time of the offense.
“This case demonstrates the effectiveness of partnerships among Commonwealth and federal law enforcement,” stated U.S. Attorney Shawn N. Anderson. “A substantial amount of methamphetamine was kept out of our communities. I applaud the efforts of all involved in bringing these defendants to justice.”
“Operation Cloudy Day” was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
This investigation was led by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration with cooperation from the CNMI Customs and Biosecurity Agency, the CNMI DETF, and prosecuted by Albert S. Flores Jr., assistant United States attorney in the District of the Northern Mariana Islands.
