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Wanted man caught, admits selling $40K worth of ‘ice’
Police arrested on Friday a 31-year-old man being hunted by authorities on charges of illegal possession of a controlled substance.
Police served the arrest warrant on Moses Sepedy Martin in Chalan Piao at 5:39pm. Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho issued the arrest warrant.
At a hearing on Monday afternoon, Camacho kept the $50,000 cash bail he earlier imposed on Martin. Preliminary hearing will be on Dec. 19 at 9am.
Assistant public defender Cindy Nesbit was appointed as counsel for Martin. Assistant attorney general Betsy Weintraub appeared for the government.
CNMI Drug Enforcement Task Force officer Rudolph C. Sablan Jr. stated in his report that police officers responded last Sept. 13 at 5:13am to a reported disturbance at the Good Luck Poker in Chalan Laulau.
When the officers arrived at Good Luck Poker, a security guard directed them toward Martin, also known as Mooch.
When the officers approached, Martin ran off toward the residential area near McDonald’s but he was soon caught in a dead end area.
Martin threw out items from a small bag. An officer collected from the ground the thrown items—a glass pipe containing a crystal-like substance, three small baggies containing a crystal-like substance, and two small baggies containing a green leafy substance.
Sablan said an officer tested the crystal-like substance, which was presumptive positive for methamphetamine.
Martin was then arrested for illegal possession of a controlled substance.
Martin allegedly confessed that he had $30 to $40 worth of “ice,” saying his sources are three Chinese nationals.
Martin said he is not an “ice” user but began selling the drug a year and a half ago.
Sablan said Martin mentioned that he has already sold about $40,000 worth of “ice” to his customers since he started.
After the Sept. 13 arrest, Martin was subsequently released for further investigation.
Last Dec. 5, Camacho issued an arrest warrant for Martin for possession of a controlled substance arising from the Sept. 13 incident. Officers, however, could not find Martin, prompting the NMI Crime Stoppers Program to issue a press release last Thursday, asking assistance from the public for information on the suspect’s whereabouts.
