Nick Cena Patulot, 54, is escorted by a Corrections officer at the local courthouse on Monday.
FOLLOWING a buy-walk operation by the Department of Public Safety-Drug Enforcement Task Force, Nick Cena Patulot and Minyan Jiang were separately arrested for selling methamphetamine or “ice.”
Both defendants, who were charged with meth possession and trafficking, appeared before Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho in the custody of the Department of Corrections for a bail hearing Monday morning.
According to court documents, Patulot, 54, sold meth to an informant while under surveillance by the DETF on two occasions on Nov. 14, 2024.
Patulot sold $710 worth of methamphetamine weighing a total of 5.7 grams, court documents added.
On both occasions, task force operatives field-tested the crystalline substance obtained from Patulot, and it tested positive for methamphetamine.
Jiang, 60, sold meth to an informant on June 25, 26 and 28, court documents stated.
Minyan Jiang, 60, is escorted by a Corrections officer at the local courthouse on Monday.
Jiang sold $180 worth of methamphetamine weighing a total of 1.88 grams to an informant on three DETF buy-walk operations, the court documents added.
On each occasion, task force operatives field-tested the crystalline substance obtained from Jiang, and it tested positive for methamphetamine.
Court documents did not indicate why Jiang was only being charged now.
Judge Camacho imposed a $100,000 cash bail on each of the defendants and remanded them to the custody of Corrections after the court hearing.
He also ordered Patulot and Jiang to return to court for a preliminary hearing on Nov. 27 at 10 a.m., and for an arraignment on Dec. 2 at 9 a.m.
Assistant Public Defender Karie Comstock was appointed to represent Patulot and Jiang while Assistant Attorney General Frances Demapan appeared for the government.
