Don Sanchez, also known as “JJ,” and William Cabrera Jr. were brought before Judge Kenneth L. Govendo for their bail hearing yesterday.
Cabrera is the brother-in-law of Sanchez, police said.
Guo Hua Yang and Zheng Dong were also brought before Govendo for their probable cause hearing.
The fifth individual, Joey Duenas, has yet to appear in court, police said without explaining why.
Chief Prosecutor Michael Ernest moved for the retention or the imposition of a $60,000 cash bail on each of the four defendants who appeared in court.
Police said Duenas was arrested when authorities served the search and arrest warrants on Sanchez at his Dandan residence.
Duenas told police he had contraband in his possession.
Police seized needles from Duenas’ possession that tested positive for “ice.”
A source said some drug users have been injecting “ice” instead of smoking it.
During the hearing, Govendo said he found reasons for the arrest of Zheng Dong and Quo Hua Yang.
Detective Sean White told the court that Yang was the supplier of Sanchez.
White also testified that the $700 buy money for the purchase of two grams of “ice” was recovered from the defendants.
In his application and affidavit for the search and arrest warrants, Detective Steven A. Castro said a cooperating source told him and Detective Roque K. Camacho that he could buy “ice” from Sanchez.
The cooperating source told police he would go to Sanchez’s house in Dandan near the Station of the Cross and park.
Sanchez, or one of his associates, would come out of the house, and conduct the drug deal, police said.
On April 6, 2011, Judge David A. Wiseman granted an eavesdropping search warrant against Sanchez.
On April 11 and 12, authorities purchased “ice” from the defendants.
On May 3, Govendo issued the search and arrest orders against the defendants.
The CNMI Drug Enforcement Task Force, together with the Department of Public Safety’s Criminal Investigation Bureau, the CNMI Customs’ K-9 Unit, implemented the anti-illegal drug operation.
