‘I was expecting sausages, not drugs’

The man who was arrested last Thursday for retrieving a package at the U.S. Post Office that contained crystal methamphetamine is now claiming that he was actually expecting a package of sausages in the mail, not drugs.

The suspect, Li Bing, is facing charges of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance (methamphetamine) in the U.S. District Court for the NMI. He is accused of possession with intent to distribute 1048 gross grams of “meth,” which was seized by the CNMI Customs and Biosecurity at the U.S Postal Service office last Thursday.

Last Friday, a complaint was brought before District Court for the NMI Magistrate Judge Heather Kennedy against Li. According to the complaint, during a routine inspection at the U.S Postal Service office in Chalan Kanoa last Jan. 26, Customs officers opened a package addressed to Li and in plain view was a white crystalized substance that later tested positive for methamphetamine.

Following the inspection, Li was arrested and brought to the Drug Enforcement Administration office for further investigation.

At the DEA’s office, federal DEA investigators interviewed Li about the package. According to Li, at around 11am on Jan. 26, he received a call from the USPS Office informing him he had a package that was ready for pick-up.

When he went to pick up the package, Li said he gave it to Customs officers, who opened it and found the crystalized substance, after which he was transported to the DEA.

Li told the investigators that he was not expecting a package, he did not know who sent it, and he did not know what the contents of the package was. He added that he had never been to the post office and that it was his first time.

However, investigators informed Li that Customs officers posted at the post office claimed to have seen him there about three weeks prior, to which Li replied he went to check if his package of sausages had arrived. This concluded the initial interview.

A few moments later, Li allegedly spoke with investigators again, claiming that he lied about the sausages.

He then allegedly stated that, back in December 2022, he was added to a social media chat group where he was instructed to send a photo of his passport and phone number and he would be expecting a package that he should not open. Li said he was told that after picking up the package and sending a photo, he would be sent a good amount of money.