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Last of three ‘ice’ defendants is sentenced
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Posted on Dec 24 2020
The U.S District Court for the NMI has sentenced the last of three defendants involved in smuggling methamphetamine or “ice” into the CNMI through the U.S Postal Service.
Manglona
District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona sentenced Elaine Francisco Demei to five months’ imprisonment.
Demei admitted to picking up a package that contained “ice” from California at the U.S Post Office in San Vicente.
Demei will serve her five months sentence in home detention and will be placed on three years of supervised release. Demei was also ordered to perform 100 hours of community service and pay a $100 assessment fee.
Demei’s co-defendants, Vince Koki Leon Guerrero and Evelyn Chong Tydingco, pled guilty to picking up the package with her that contained over 110 grams of methamphetamine.
Leon Guerrero and Tydingco were each sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment for organizing the deal and will also be placed on five years’ supervised release after serving their sentence.
Mark Hanson represented Demei, while Steven Pixley represented Leon Guerrero and Robert T. Torres represented Tydingco. Assistant U.S. attorney Garth Backe represented the federal government.
According to Demei’s change of plea, between Feb. 15 and 21, 2018, Leon Guerrero conspired with Tydingco and Demei to possess over 50 grams of methamphetamine with intent to distribute it to others on Saipan.
The package containing methamphetamine was sent from California and was addressed to “Debbie Lee.”
On Feb. 21, 2018, upon arrival of the package, the three defendants picked up the parcel at the post office in San Vicente.
The methamphetamine in the package had a net weight of 110.03 grams and an approximate purity level of 100%.
Manglona said during Leon Guerrero and Tydingco’s sentencing last month that the amount of drugs seized was among the largest the court has seen.
