Chinese National Sentenced to 51 Months in Prison for Meth Trafficking on the Island of Saipan

Saipan, CNMI – SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands (NMI), announced that the United States District Court for the NMI ordered 51 months imprisonment for Bing Li, age 41, a citizen of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), for Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1).  The Court also ordered Li to serve three years of supervised release and pay a $100 special assessment fee.  He was further ordered to report for deportation proceedings.

In January 2023, Bing Li received a package at the U.S. Post Office in Chalan Kanoa, Saipan.  The package was addressed to Li and mailed by a sender in San Leandro, California.  During an inspection of the package, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Customs and Biosecurity Officers discovered two plastic bags inside the package containing a total of 831.6 grams of methamphetamine with 99% purity levels.  Upon questioning by agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Li admitted he agreed with others to receive and further distribute the methamphetamine inside the package for personal profit.  In January 2023, the street value on Saipan of the seized methamphetamine was at least $332,000.

“This case demonstrates the continued targeting of mail parcels by law enforcement to interdict illicit drugs entering our jurisdictions,” stated United States Attorney Anderson.  “The penalties for traffickers are significant and include removal from the United States for foreign nationals.”

This case was investigated by the CNMI Customs & Biosecurity and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.  Assistant United States Attorney Albert S. Flores Jr. in the District of the Northern Mariana Islands prosecuted the case.