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Probable cause found against man accused of smuggling 4.9 lbs of ‘ice’
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Posted on Apr 01 2022
The Superior Court has found probable cause to try a man accused of smuggling 4.9 lbs of methamphetamine, or ‘ice,’ into the CNMI.
Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph Camacho found probable cause last Wednesday to try Zhang Yuzhu, 49, for the charges of importation of contraband, trafficking of controlled substance, and illegal possession of a controlled substance following a probable cause hearing.
After the hearing, Zhang was ordered to return to court on April 4, at 9am for his arraignment before Presiding Judge Roberto C. Naraja. He was later remanded back to Department of Corrections custody.
Zhang, who appeared under DOC custody, was represented by assistant public defender Vina Seelam, while assistant attorney general Steven Kessell appeared on behalf of the government.
According to court documents, Customs officer Franklin Sablan was doing routine inspection on a large parcel addressed to Zhang at approximately 10am on March 19. Inside the parcel, Sablan saw three wooden cases containing chinaware inside.
Upon further inspection of the wooden cases, Sablan said he noticed a square object wrapped in duct tape under the chinaware inside the wooden case. While examining the object, the officer noticed white crystalline substance spilling onto the wooden case. This prompted Sablan to contact the Bureau of Contraband Enforcement. Minutes later, BCE personnel arrived at the scene and took over the investigation.
At approximately 12pm, the parcel was transferred to Zhang’s address in Garapan.
Around the same time, Customs BCE teams established surveillance operations at the U.S. Post Office in Garapan. At around 12:49pm, surveillance teams observed a blue Toyota Yaris owned by Zhang arrive at the post office. Moments later, surveillance teams observed Zhang leave the post office carrying the parcel. Members of the surveillance team then approached and secured Zhang along with the parcel and his vehicle.
In his vehicle, officers found 19 small clear plastic baggies containing white crystalline substances that yielded a presumptive positive result for methamphetamine, weighing at approximately 26.3 gross grams.
