NEW YORK: The Division of Customs of the Department of Finance has intercepted another shipment of ice from China, this time weighing 4.9 pounds and worth over $800,000.
In a press conference Monday morning, Customs Director Jose Mafnas said the ice was discovered on Dec. 2 in a 40-foot Sunleader container which had multiple consignees, one identified as Cai Shi Cheng who brought in nine 5-gallon containers of paint.
Mafnas said during inspection of the pails, one of them was found to contain three boxes of ice hidden in a black plastic bag.
The plastic bag was hidden under the hardened paint material which was extracted by a Customs officer during inspection.
The confiscated drug tested positive for crystal methamphetamine commonly known as ice with a street value of $850,000.
Mafnas said they immediately alerted the Department of Public Safety, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security, the U.S. Marshals and the Attorney General’s Office regarding the ice.
Commissioner James Deleon Guerrero said, adding that the U.S. Attorney’s Office is expected to file formal charges in federal court against the three.
Authorities said they have seized a total of 28 pounds of ice with a street value of over $5 million since July.
Deleon Guerrero said they continue to investigate Sunleader company which is operating a consolidated cargo business on island.
Another Sunleader shipment in July contained over $4 million worth of ice, and led to the biggest drug bust in CNMI hstory.
Acting Gov. Ralph Torres in a statement said: “This is always welcome news for our community. Every time the vigilant men and women at the Division of Customs prevent crystal methamphetamine from reaching our shores, we move one step closer to winning the War on Ice. The hard work that they do on a daily basis motivates us as a community to combat the effects of this harmful drug. This is why we have the CNMI interagency war on Ice Task Force and why I am personally ensuring the men and women of Customs and all our enforcement entities have the full support they need to fight this war. I want to thank Director Mafnas and his team for being at the frontline of this war and continuing to prevent this drug from reaching our community.”
Secretary of Finance Larrisa Larson also commended Customs personnel for doing the best they can to prevent the drug from going into the market.
“It’s an unfortunate fact that nowadays we all know family members, friends and associates who have used ice or whose lives have been impacted by ice. People will always try to bring ice here, so I’d like to commend the law enforcement officers of Customs for this effort and our partners for supporting this effort. We won’t be able to do this alone, and we need the people’s support to stop this drug trafficking and to make this War on Ice successful. The Division of Customs works really hard — they work hard night and day to keep the community safe.”
Mafnas said they will continue to be vigilant at the ports of entry to ensure that illegel drugs will not get in.
Public Safety Commissioner Deleon Guerrero said the joint efforts of Customs, DPS and other law enforcement agencies is a clear indication of their commitment and dedication to develop a comprehensive strategy to make sure that the job is done despite limited resources.
He said criminals will always find a way and will be creative with their illegal activities, but he is hoping that the CNMI can keep up with these challenges.
He thanked Customs for being able to prevent close to $5 million worth of ice from making its way to the streets of the islands, adding that they will continue to strive to prevent ice from reaching the people of the CNMI.