Man sentenced to 3 years in marijuana importation

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A man convicted of money laundering in connection with importing marijuana to the island was sentenced in Superior Court of Guam late Monday to three years in prison.

Judge Elizabeth Barrett-Anderson also ordered Edward Jones II to pay a $10,000 fine on charges of money laundering and continuing criminal enterprise, according to a release from the attorney general's office.

On or about July 10 last year, a Guam Customs officer conducted an inspection with a drug detection dog at the U.S. Postal Service's Guam Main Facility in Barrigada, Pacific Daily News files state. A drug detection dog alerted officials to a package addressed to a post office box.

A federal search warrant was issued by the U.S. District Court of Guam, based on probable cause, and about 463.3 grams of suspected marijuana was found inside the package, files state.

During a controlled delivery of the package on July 12, an unidentified man picked up the package and took it to his residence, files state. The package was later opened, which set off a tracking device.

Law enforcement authorities then entered the residence with a search warrant. The man told officials that Jones approached him in 1995 and asked him to sell marijuana, documents state. The man said he was receiving marijuana via mail from Jones and another person. The man said he has transferred money to Jones for marijuana sold on Guam.

Jones arrived on Guam a few days later and when Customs officers inspected his baggage, they found a collapsible metal baton similar to the ones used by police, metal nunchaku, a 12-inch knife, a stun gun and two Tasers, court documents state.

The attorney general's office took the case against Jones to trial in November and won the trial before former Superior Court Judge Joaquin Manibusan. Jones was trafficking marijuana from the United States to be sold on Guam while he received the money in the Philippines, the release said.

In a release, Attorney General Douglas Moylan thanked the Guam Customs office and the U.S. Postal Service for their assistance in investigating and prosecuting this crime.

"This case represents the good that flows from law enforcement agencies working together with the AG's office to protect the public interest," Moylan said.

Pacific Daily News
By Theresa Merto
September 1, 2004
©2004 Pacific Daily News. All rights reserved.
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