Ice task force eyes freezing drug dealers’ assets ASAP

As part of the CNMI’s war on methamphetamine, or “ice,” lawmakers are planning to mandate stronger forfeiture laws to prevent the overnight disappearing act of drug dealer bank accounts and assets when they are arrested.

In an interview Friday, Sen. Sixto Igisomar, part of the policy committee on the interagency ice task force that met for the first time on Capital Hill Friday, said he will be forwarding a law he drafted earlier this year for review by the CNMI attorney general and the task force.

Igisomar said the new forfeiture law is in response to Department of Public Safety concerns.

Ice dealers, Igisomar said, “are so quick” that as soon as they are apprehended, all of the assets under their name change overnight.

“Overnight, the titles of lands, vehicles…are switched over to someone else. And by the time there is a judgment on somebody for sentencing, they go back and their bank accounts are empty or everything else has been wiped out,” he said.

He said forfeiture laws need to be stricter such as “a temporary or immediate freeze or holding of all assets or properties, including land, vehicles, and especially, cash.”

AG review

Another urgent matter for policy makers is to obtain funds to establish a CNMI Drug Court on island, which will facilitate the rehabilitation of drug users.

The CNMI Judiciary submitted in late November a budget request of $317,189 to establish and fund this drug court.

Policymakers are now waiting on the budget submission of the Community Guidance Center, major partner in the drug court program.

“Hopefully, we can extract that budget immediately so we can send it to the [House] Ways and Means, and actually put a bill together from the House to appropriate the funds necessary,” Igisomar said.

“Our main goal is…collaborative and cooperative solutions and discussions so we can come up with ways to tackle this issue before…new drugs come in,” he added.

The ice task force plans to meet every two weeks, with committees meeting between those dates.

During the inaugural meeting Friday, members were asked to introduce themselves and describe the resources their agencies could provide to help with the task force’s mandate. Committee assignments were also given.

The committee on enforcement is composed of Public Safety Commissioner James Deleon Guerrero, the Special Assistant for Homeland Security and Emergency Management, the chief of the Commonwealth Ports Authority Police, Customs chief Jose Mafnas, and the CNMI attorney general or his designee.

The committee on mental health is composed of Corrections Commissioner Robert Guerrero, the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp., the Community Guidance Center, and the Public School System.

For the community on use and prevention, the task force has named Judge David A. Wiseman, DPS Commissioner Guerrero, the Corrections commissioner, PSS, and the guidance center.

The committee on policy has Igisomar, Rep. Antonio Sablan, Attorney General Edward Manibusan, DPS commissioner, Customs chief, and the guidance center.

Last October, Gov. Eloy S. Inos signed an executive order to create an interagency “War on Ice” task force, noting the alarming rate that ice has spread destructively throughout the Commonwealth.

The office of Lt. Gov. Ralph DLG Torres is spearheading the task force. It will be responsible for formulating policy to combat the “ice” epidemic, and has been tasked to coordinate planning among law enforcement and other agencies.