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 the following defendants were sentenced in the District Court of Guam:

• Edward Glen Demapan, age 54, from Guam, was found guilty after a jury trial on November 19, 2025. He was sentenced on June 3, 2026, in the U.S. District Court of Guam to life imprisonment for Conspiracy to Distribute 50 or More Grams of Methamphetamine and Attempted Possession with Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841(a)(1). The Court also imposed five years of supervised release and a $200 mandatory special assessment fee.

• Allan Dale Bernal, age 53, of Dededo, pleaded guilty and was sentenced on June 4, 2026, to 108 months imprisonment for Conspiracy to Distribute Fifty or More Grams of Methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841(a)(1). He was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release and pay a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.

• Zerxes Jabidando Viva, age 47, of Dededo, pleaded guilty and was sentenced on March 10, 2026, to 63 months imprisonment for Conspiracy to Distribute Fifty or More Grams of Methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841(a)(1). He was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release, 100 hours of community service, and pay a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.

• Liana Joelene Cabrera, age 43, of Houston, Texas, pleaded guilty and was sentenced on April 2, 2026, to 180 months imprisonment for Conspiracy to Distribute Fifty or More Grams of Methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841(a)(1), and Unlawful Use of the Mail to Distribute the Proceeds of Drug Trafficking, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1952(a)(1). She was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release, 100 hours of community service, and pay a $200 mandatory special assessment fee.

Federal court documents describe how Demapan—already serving a life sentence for aggravated murder in local court—built and directed a sophisticated methamphetamine trafficking network from inside the Guam Department of Corrections. Working with Texas‑based co‑conspirator Cabrera and multiple Guam‑based associates, Demapan coordinated the shipment of methamphetamine to Guam and the return of drug proceeds to Texas. As part of the investigation, federal law enforcement seized a mail parcel containing $80,160 in cash and several additional parcels containing over fourteen pounds of methamphetamine.

Investigators discovered that, while incarcerated, Demapan obtained cell phones, chargers, controlled substances, and drug paraphernalia. Outside the prison, he maintained a network of individuals and addresses to receive drug parcels and carry out his instructions. Testimony revealed that Demapan enforced his authority through intimidation; co‑conspirator Viva stated he feared for his own safety and that of his family.

Despite spending nearly 30 years in prison, Demapan continued to engage in criminal activity. Authorities recovered a substantial cache of contraband from his cell—evidence of long‑term illicit operations—and additional items even after he was moved to a more secure housing unit. The three intercepted drug parcels represent only a portion of the broader trafficking scheme involving Cabrera and other associates.

“This case ends Demapan’s lengthy history of drug trafficking,” stated United States Attorney Anderson.  “Federal and territorial agencies are now working to transfer him off island to a federal facility, far away from our communities and his drug den at Guam DOC. We expect prisons to be drug free. Where reality is otherwise, we will take aggressive enforcement action.”

“This hardened drug criminal was intent on continuing a life of crime, even while behind bars. Despite prior convictions, Edward Demapan instinctively relapsed,” said, Anthony Chrysanthis, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration Los Angeles Field Division, which oversees Guam. “With the help of co-conspirators, he managed to run a sophisticated drug trafficking operation from inside prison. But today’s sentencing should serve as a reminder that you can’t outsmart the justice system. You will be held accountable for your crimes, irrespective of location or jurisdiction.”

“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service protects our communities by keeping illegal drugs out of the mail and bringing traffickers to justice,” said Stephen Sherwood, Postal Inspector in Charge of the San Francisco Division. “I want to thank 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. I also extend my appreciation to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Guam and our federal law‑enforcement partners for their invaluable teamwork in this case.”

This investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration Guam Resident Office, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Marshals Service, and assistance from the Guam Police Department Special Investigations Section. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin K. Petersburg prosecuted these cases in the District of Guam.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.