Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 87 Months Imprisonment

          SHAWN N. ANDERSON, Acting United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands (NMI), announced that ALVIN SANTOS PADUA, age 38, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today by Senior Judge Alex R. Munson, to 87 months imprisonment for attempted possession of 245 grams of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, three years supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment fee.

          On September 16, 2013, PADUA met one of his associates at the parking lot of Hotel Mai’ana in Tamuning for the specific purpose of picking up a package containing approximately 250 grams of methamphetamine. PADUA picked up a DVD player box which he expected would contain methamphetamine. The defendant had previously agreed with his associates in the Philippines to sell the drugs, and cause to send $100,000 drug proceeds to the Philippines.  He was unaware that the box concealed a sham product that law enforcement agents placed inside the box. The defendant was arrested shortly after he received the package. 

          Defendant PADUA pled guilty on December 5, 2013.

               The case was investigated by special agents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marivic David.