2 allegedly ran ‘ice’ labs

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents and CNMI Drug Enforcement Task Force and Customs officers have busted an ex-convict and a security guard who allegedly ran a clandestine methamphetamine or “ice” laboratory in a hotel room and at a Dandan home.

Vincent David Cabrera Jr., also known as Bong, and Eugene Blas Repeki, also known as Uncle, were charged in federal court with conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine.

Repeki was charged separately with illegal possession of a controlled substance in Superior Court.

Cabrera and Repeki are expected to be taken before the U.S. District Court for the NMI today, Tuesday, for an initial court appearance hearing.

Superior Court Associate Judge Kenneth L. Govendo imposed a $50,000 cash bail on the 39-year-old Repeki.

Last Sunday, investigators searched Cabrera’s room at Saipan Vegas Resort and Repeki’s house in Dandan.

Upon entering the hotel room, investigators were allegedly immediately hit with an overwhelming smell of chemical odor and arrested Cabrera.

A DEA special agent clad in personal protective wear, double gloves, and a respirator processed the hotel room, taking samples from a yellow powdery substance inside a water bottle, a clear liquid from plastic bottles and Styrofoam cup, and white powder from a plastic container. He also seized Sudogest pills and other drug paraphernalia.

During the search at Repeki’s house, investigators also took samples of the same liquid and powders that were found in Cabrera’s hotel room.

According to DEA special agent Kirk F. Johns, the investigation began last Oct. 15 when he was contacted by a pharmacy employee who tipped them about the purchasing patterns of some people of cold medicine containing pseudo-ephedrine.

That day, a man arrived at the pharmacy and bought two boxes of 30 pills each of Sudogest, a cold medicine.

Five minutes later, another man arrived at the pharmacy and bought a box of 30 pills of Sudogest.

Johns said he went over the pharmacy’s list of buyers of medicine that contain pseudo-ephedrine and the logbooks showed that Cabrera, Repeki, and another person bought thousands of milligrams of active pseudo-ephedrine from July 3 to Oct. 15, 2017.

He said he then received a call from a tipster last Oct. 16 about people led by Cabrera cooking “ice” on Saipan by using the “shake and bake” method.

Johns said he and another officer met with the tipster who revealed that Cabrera usually cooks “ice” at his friend’s house or in a trunk of a rental car.

The tipster then rode with investigators and pointed out the rear of a house where Cabrera usually cooks the “ice.”

The tipster stated that the “ice” being cooked is of good quality and is made using plastic 2-liter soda bottles.

The drug traffickers will commonly mix Cabrera’s “ice” with other meth that “is Chinese and on the streets of Saipan.”

Cabrera allegedly learned the “shake and bake” method of cooking “ice” while he was living in Guam.

Last Feb. 8, Department of Public Safety K-9 officer Rudolfo Hermosilla conducted a traffic stop on a car driven by Repeki for speeding on Middle Road in Chalan Laulau.

During the search, the officer seized two plastic baggies with powdery substance and numerous empty baggies and other items.

Repeki was later allowed to leave and drive to his worksite.

Last Feb. 24, investigators observed several persons entering and exiting Cabrera’s room at Saipan Vegas Resort.