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Man gets 2 years for ‘ice’ possession
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Posted on Jun 15 2012
Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho has accepted a proposed plea deal offered to an “ice” trafficker that he earlier rejected, imposing a two-year prison sentence on the defendant.
Yong Jie Chen, a Chinese male, pleaded guilty on Thursday afternoon to the charge of illegal possession of a controlled substance.
Camacho accepted Chen’s guilty plea and the plea agreement as there is no suspended sentence; fines are paid immediately; defendant has no prior criminal conviction or arrest; and that he will be immediately deported after being released from prison.
Attorney Robert T. Torres is the court-appointed counsel for Chen. Assistant attorney general Darren Robinson prosecuted the case.
Before entering a plea agreement with Chen, the Office of the Attorney General dismissed the charges of trafficking of a controlled substance and conspiracy to trafficking of controlled substance.
Camacho sentenced Chen to two years in prison, to be served without the possibility of parole, early release, work or weekend release, or other similar programs.
The defendant was given credit for time served in jail since Jan. 12, 2012.
Camacho ordered Chen to pay a $2,000 fine, payable immediately with monies seized by the government on the day of his arrest on Jan. 12, 2012. Chen was also required to pay a $100 court fee.
After completing his sentence, Chen is required to immediately present himself to the Department of Homeland Security-Immigration and Customs Enforcement for immediate deportation.
Chen’s girlfriend and co-defendant, Wei Lu, also entered a guilty plea to the same offense on Thursday and received the same sentence and other conditions.
Last May 23, Camacho rejected a proposed plea agreement that Chen and Lu entered with the government. The original proposed plea agreement recommended a 15-month prison term for Chen and a one-year sentence for Lu. The judge found the deal to be too lenient.
The “ice” involved in the case was worth $200, according to court documents.
