DOING a thorough job with better equipment helped Division of Customs officers foil an attempted smuggling of methamphetamine or “ice” at the U.S. Post Office in Chalan Kanoa on Monday, Acting Customs Director James Deleon Guerrero said Wednesday.
The seizure of 997.5 grams or 2.1 lbs. of meth led to the arrest of 40-year-old Huaishu Wang, 55-year-old Yongbing Ni, and 48-year-old Hong Jie Li in an operation conducted by the CNMI Drug Enforcement Task Force at a residence in Papago.
The contraband items were discovered by Customs Officer Franklin Sablan in a box containing chinaware and ceramic vases that arrived from Canada, Deleon Guerrero said in a press briefing at the Customs office in Puerto Rico on Thursday.
Customs Capt. John Henry Sablan, who supervises the Bureau of Contraband Enforcement, said a tampered portion of the box prompted Franklin Sablan to further check the box during a routine inspection at the post office.
Deleon Guerrero said immediately afterward, Contraband Enforcement worked with the CNMI Drug Enforcement Task Force, Homeland Security, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and other law enforcement groups.
The prompt investigation led them to a residence in Papago where the operatives, who had obtained a search warrant from the court, seized an additional 100 grams of meth and “a large sum of money,” and arrested two of the suspects, the acting Customs director said.
He said Customs Director Jose Mafnas has been committing as many resources as possible at the ports of entries to make sure more inspections are conducted.
They use equipment such as x-ray machines while Customs officers “do a pretty thorough job” in inspecting packages.
Capt. John Henry Sablan said “one of the biggest things that is going on for us now is the support and better equipment compared to 10 years ago.”
Today, Customs contraband enforcement officers have better x-ray machines, more highly trained canines and handlers and skilled officers. Every day he said, they effectively use portable x-ray machines at the post office.
Deleon Guerrero said stopping contraband at the border “really goes a long way in terms of helping other law enforcement partners so they no longer have to commit more resources to drug enforcement efforts.”
Acting Division of Customs Director James Deleon Guerrero, center, gestures during a press conference at the Customs office in Puerto Rico on Thursday. Also in photo are Bureau of Contraband Enforcement Supervisor Capt. John Henry Sablan, left, and Customs Planner and Public Information Officer Reina Camacho.