Trial begins in NMI’s third biggest ‘ice’ haul

The jury trial of a former garment worker who reportedly yielded the third largest haul so far of methamphetamine hydrochloride or “ice” in the CNMI began yesterday in federal court.

U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Alex R. Munson presided over the jury trial of Yong Ming Song, who is facing a charge of possession of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school with intent to distribute.

Yesterday afternoon, assistant U.S. attorney James Benedetto called to the witness stand Police Sergeant Anthony Macaranas, who narrated to the court the circumstances that led to the arrest of Song on the night of Sept. 11, 2008.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, it was Sgt. Macaranas and Police Officer Daniel Punimata who recovered the drug haul during a random check on Song, whom they flagged down for allegedly not wearing a seatbelt.

During cross-examination by defense counsel Joey San Nicolas, Macaranas admitted that prior to the arrest of Song, there was an operation at that time being conducted by the DEA.

Macaranas also admitted that Punimata, who was a DEA Task Force member, was in his police’s car at that time.

The police sergeant said that Song’s car was tinted and that it was Punimata who later saw the bag that contained the “ice” in the defendant’s vehicle.

Macaranas said they first made contact with Song’s vehicle along Chalan Monsignor Guerrero.

“We don’t know who he [Song] was,” Macaranas replied, when asked whether he knew the defendant was in the car at that time.

As to San Nicolas’s question whether at the time he suspected that the person in that car was carrying “ice,” the police officer replied, “Yes.”

When Saipan Tribune left the courtroom yesterday afternoon, Benedetto was still questioning Macaranas.

A DEA special agent stated in his report that on Sept. 11, 2008, at 10:40pm, Macaranas and Punimata were cruising along Beach Road in San Jose aboard a patrol car when they saw a white Toyota Corolla driving south.

The two officers noticed that the driver, later identified as Song, was not wearing a seatbelt. As the car entered the Susupe area, Macaranas activated the police car’s emergency lights and stopped the vehicle.

Song was reportedly sweating and his hands were shaking.

The indictment indicated that 138 grams of “ice” were seized from Song’s vehicle. The defendant pleaded not guilty.