Man accused of smuggling 4.9 lbs of ‘ice’ seeks $3K bail

A man accused of smuggling nearly five pounds of “ice” or methamphetamine into the CNMI through the U.S Postal Service has asked the Superior Court to modify his bail and allow him to post less than 1% of his initial bail of $1 million.

Zhang Yuzhu, who was arrested in March for allegedly trying to smuggle 4.9 lbs of methamphetamine from California through USPS, is asking the Superior Court to allow him to post just $3,000 of his initial $1 million bail so he could be temporarily released.

According to a motion made by assistant public defender Vina Seelam, her client is asking the Superior Court to modify his bail from the initial $1 million to $300,000 and allow him to post 10% of the modified bail to be released.

However, assistant attorney general Steven Kessel, who represents the government, opposed the request and said the court should deny Zhang’s application for bail modification.

“The Commonwealth believes the defendant presents a significant risk of fleeing the jurisdiction if released on bail pending further proceedings in this case,” Kessel said.

Zhang, who is facing charges of importation of contraband, trafficking of a controlled substance, and illegal possession of a controlled substance, is currently in the custody of the Department of Corrections.

He previously denied all charges filed against him.

According to Saipan Tribune archives, Zhang allegedly attempted to smuggle 4.9 lbs of methamphetamine from California through the U.S. Postal Service. The seized contraband has a street value of approximately $700,000.

The “ice” was discovered at approximately 10am on March 19 during a Customs routine inspection of a large parcel addressed to Zhang. Inside the parcel, Customs officer Franklin Sablan said he saw three wooden cases containing chinaware. Upon further inspection of the wooden cases, Sablan noticed a square object wrapped in duct tape under the chinaware inside the wooden case. While examining the square object, the officer noticed white crystalline substance spilling into the wooden case.

After procuring the parcel and its contents as evidence, the items were transported to the Customs office at the Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport for processing and testing, where it turned out positive for methamphetamine.