United States Drug Enforcement Administration

Hagåtña, Guam – SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that defendant Jesus K. Paulino, Jr. (“Paulino”), age 36, from Dededo, Guam was sentenced, to serve 235 months in federal prison. On December 10, 2025, Paulino was convicted by a jury in the District Court of Guam for Attempted Possession with the Intent to Distribute Fifty or More Grams of Methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841(a)(1). The Court also ordered five years of supervised release and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee. In addition, defendants convicted of a federal drug offense may no longer qualify for certain federal benefits.

On February 19, 2025, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) obtained a search warrant and discovered approximately 14,533 net grams—roughly 32 pounds—of methamphetamine concealed inside a U.S. priority mail package addressed to another person at Mailhub, Oka, Tamuning. The drugs were removed from the package, replaced with sham material, and fitted with a court authorized tracking device as part of an ongoing investigation.

On February 26, 2025, law enforcement observed Paulino carrying the package at Mailhub and placing it in a Toyota 4-Runner. Paulino dropped off a female passenger and drove around Tamuning and Tumon before arriving at his residence in Tamuning.

On the afternoon of February 27, 2025, law enforcement was alerted that the package had been opened. Officers knocked on the door of the residence, secured the location, and obtained a warrant to search the residence. Authorities seized the package, its contents, the tracking device, two electronic scales, a cellular phone, an Apple iPad, and a SIM card. A search of Paulino’s vehicle revealed trace residue that tested positive for MDMA. Paulino was found with visible amounts of clue spray on his clothing, arms, and hands.

Paulino, was previously employed as a Guam Customs and Quarantine Officer. During that time, he was convicted of Conspiracy to Defraud and Deprive Honest Services, in violation of federal law, in connection with the smuggling of untaxed cigarette shipments from the Philippines.
 “Our aggressive mail-stream interdiction efforts removed this drug dealer from Guam for decades,” stated United States Attorney Anderson. “The lengthy sentence was warranted by the weight of drugs shipped and Paulino’s troubling history. This case is another example of the many successes of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative that keeps our communities safe.”

“Postal inspectors will not relent when drug traffickers attempt to mail controlled substances that harm our communities and endanger postal workers,” said Stephen Sherwood, Postal Inspector in Charge of the San Francisco Division. “I extend my sincere appreciation to the members of the Guam Interdictions Anti-Narcotics Trafficking Task Force (GIANT TF)—including the Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency, the Guam Police Department, and the Guam Army National Guard Counterdrug Program—for their dedication and collaboration. I also thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Guam and our federal law enforcement partners for their invaluable teamwork in bringing this offender to justice.”

“This case highlights how HSI works every day to keep our community safe from criminal organizations. By teaming up with other agencies through the Homeland Security Task Force, we’re able to tackle these threats together. HSI is committed to finding and stopping criminal networks that put Guam and the United States at risk,” said HSI Special Agent in Charge Lucia Cabral-DeArmas.

“The defendant attempted to exploit the U.S. mail system, making a calculated effort to expand distribution, which endangered countless lives,” said ATF Seattle Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Blais. “ATF will hold these traffickers accountable, and we remain committed to disrupting drug distribution at every level.”

“Through coordinated efforts and strong partnerships, this individual has been brought to justice for trafficking destructive narcotics that endanger the health and wellbeing of our island community. Drug peddlers, regardless of occupation or status, will be pursued and held accountable for the devastation they cause,” said Anthony Chrysanthis, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration Los Angeles Field Division, which oversees Guam. “DEA is in lockstep with our HSTF partners, remaining ever committed to disrupting global drug networks and halting the flow of methamphetamine and other dangerous drugs.”

This investigation was led by United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) with key participation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS), Guam Police Department Special Investigations Section, and the Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency.

Assistant United States Attorney Rosetta L. San Nicolas prosecuted the case in the District of Guam.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. HSTF Guam comprises agents and officers Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), United States Marshals Service (USMS), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI), the United States Secret Service (USSS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS), with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
 

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Contact: Carmela Rapadas
Monday, April 6, 2026
Public Affairs Officer
DGU.gov | @USAO_GU
Carmela.Rapadas@usdoj.gov