‘OAG gives ‘discounted’ sentences for 2 ‘ice’ defendants

Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho yesterday stated that the Office of the Attorney General gave a 92 percent and 85 percent “discount” on the possible maximum sentences of two defendants who pleaded guilty to illegal possession of methamphetamine or “ice.”

Camacho said the OAG basically removed 60 years of a possible consecutive sentence in the case against Rui Wei Huang, and 55 years of a possible consecutive sentence in the case against Hong Xiao Shao Ayuyu.

Camacho sentenced Huang and Ayuyu each to two years imprisonment, to be served without the possibility of parole.

Huang, 42, also known as JCC Brother and No-No, was given credit for 441 days of time served, while Ayuyu, 46, was given credit of 201 days of time served.

Huang and Ayuyu were ordered to pay a $2,000 fine.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Immigration and Customs Enforcement will be given a copy of the orders in the two cases. Huang and Ayuyu are both citizens of China.

Camacho cited the OAG’s conflicting messages in these two cases, saying the OAG had stated in writing that “ice” is a plague in this community that affects everyone and that the OAG asks the court to take a hard stance against crimes involving “ice.”

Camacho noted that it is the OAG that decides what charges to file and the court can only hear the cases as filed.

In Huang’s case, he was arrested on June 15, 2016, and charged with two counts of trafficking a controlled substance and three counts of possession of a controlled substance, for a possible consecutive sentence of 65 years.

Camacho said the OAG then amended the charges against Huang to only one count of possession of a controlled substance, for a possible sentence of five years imprisonment.

Huang pleaded guilty.

Assistant attorney general Teri Tenorio had recommended the maximum sentence of five years imprisonment against Huang. A Public Defender’s Office lawyer that represented Huang recommended a sentence of time-served.

In Ayuyu’s case, Camacho said the defendant was arrested on Dec. 22, 2016 and charged with two counts of trafficking of a controlled substance and three counts of possession of a controlled substance, for a possible consecutive sentence of 64 years.

Yet OAG again amended the information, Camacho said, charging Ayuyu with only two counts of possession of controlled substance, for a possible sentence of 10 years imprisonment.

Ayuyu pleaded guilty to two counts.

Tenorio recommended a prison term of five years. Assistant public defender Jamal Saleh recommended a sentence of just two years.

A CNMI Drug Enforcement Task Force officer said their “cooperating source” managed to buy $340 and $120 worth of “ice” from Huang in separate operations in Garapan.

Police said a cooperating defendant managed to buy 1.6 gross grams and 3.6 gross grams of “ice” worth $180 and $660 respectively from Ayuyu, in the back of a dress shop in Chalan Kanoa.