The case is the first heard in the CNMI after so many years as authorities intensify the campaign against illegal drug use among mariners.
ALJ George Jordan who flew in from Seattle, Washington to Saipan, presided over the suspension and revocation proceeding against Capt. Eleno Blas Valdez who last year pled guilty to illegal possession of a controlled substance in the Superior Court.
The trafficking of a controlled substance against Valdez was dropped as part of his plea agreement with the CNMI government. He served 90 days in prison.
Marine Science Technician 1 Jennifer Thomas and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Timothy Hahn acted as chief prosecutor and assistant prosecutor, respectively.
Lt. John Peterson, who is in-charge of the U.S. Coast Guard office on Saipan, said the suspension and revocation proceeding, which is similar to a trial, is actually a fact-finding hearing that will give an opportunity for the parties to be heard by an ALJ before an order in the case at hand is rendered.
The U.S. Coast Guard can file for a revocation of any mariner’s license for any conviction whether it involves drug use, driving under the influence of alcohol, or DUI, or domestic violence, among other types of crimes, Thomas told the Variety.
Thomas who has been investigating and prosecuting mariners who had violated federal and local laws in the CNMI and Guam said Valdez’s case is the first since 2002.
She said they monitor newspapers and get information from people about mariners violating the law and then commence administrative action against them.
Valdez is a commercial ship captain for a 100-ton vessel which could carry more than 100 passengers.
Thomas said it is very important for ship captains to be drug-free as the lives of their passengers rest on their hands.
“He is a commercial captain. He can take paying passengers for hire on a tour. He can operate up to 100 gross tons that means he is allowed to carry up to 149 passengers at one time. He can commercially operate (vessels),” she said.
“Being out there in the ocean with paying passengers, they are solely responsible for their actions and their passengers’ lives so we hold them to very high standards,” she added.
