BY PAULY SUBA
Journal Staff
Attorney General Douglas B.K. Moylan delivered a wide-ranging address to the Guam Chamber of Commerce at its monthly meeting on April 30. He warned the business community that methamphetamine addiction and repeat criminal behavior are the two biggest threats to public safety and the island’s economic future.
Speaking at the Hilton Guam Resort & Spa, Moylan showcased a replica of his roadside billboard, highlighting that since January 2023, over 50 jury trial convictions have been secured. “It was a statement to every relative on there, of those 50: rein in your family members,” he said. “Of all the meth addicts out there, this is what your future is going to look like.”
Moylan emphasized the need for stronger laws and more proactive enforcement. While he did not go into full detail about Bill 104-38, also known as the Crime Victim & People of Guam’s Protection Reform Act of 2025 during the meeting, the proposed legislation seeks changes to Guam’s criminal justice system.
If passed, Bill 104-38 would:
- Extend Guam’s speedy trial deadlines from 45 and 60 days to 70 days, bringing them in line with federal standards.
- Exclude weekends and holidays from the 48-hour rule requiring arrestees to appear before a judge.
- Allow prosecutors to appeal not-guilty verdicts, a significant expansion of the government’s appellate authority.
- Mandate strict bail conditions or cash bail for individuals charged with meth-related offenses or those with prior convictions.
- Require immediate drug evaluation for meth defendants and enforce stricter consequences for violations of release conditions.
- Authorize deportation plea agreements for non-citizen offenders in exchange for permanent removal from Guam.
- Create mandatory 100% cargo inspections at the port using fixed x-ray machines and canine units to combat drug trafficking.
- Establish a special fund and allow the AG’s office to control its own budget and procurement functions.
- Require drug testing of AG office staff with mandatory termination for positive results.
- Prohibit the use of government funds to defend employees facing criminal charges.
Moylan repeatedly returned to the theme of methamphetamine as the root of Guam’s public safety challenges.
“It all leads back to meth,” he said. “You literally have to lock down your businesses with shutters… almost military-grade security to deal with the meth thugs.”
Moylan said the business sector is being hit especially hard, noting that addiction is reducing the pool of employable workers and fueling property crimes. “You need to have employees… When you have a community that has a bunch of meth addicts in it… they’re either taking what you have as employers or looking for anything to buy more meth. It’s scary.”
To meet these challenges, Moylan said he has hired a team of mainland prosecutors to bolster his office’s capacity. “I told them, come to Guam, I don’t care why you left before, I’ll hire you to help our people,” he said. “I call them mercenaries. I call them my renegades.”
While focusing heavily on crime, Moylan also warned of another looming threat — a potential debt crisis linked to Gov. Lourdes Leon Guerrero’s plan to build a new medical complex using federal COVID relief funds without legislative oversight.
He drew comparisons to a $2.1 billion financial settlement reached in Massachusetts after its state government was found to have misused pandemic funds to cover unemployment benefits. “The People of Massachusetts must pay back over $2 billion to the federal government,” Moylan said. “That was because their governor dug them into a financial nightmare.”
Moylan said Guam could face a similar fate if it’s determined that $104 million in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds were improperly obligated to the governor’s medical complex project without legislative consent.
He warned that unchecked spending, bureaucratic growth, and delayed reforms could threaten Guam’s future.
Though uncertain about seeking re-election, Moylan expressed satisfaction with his office’s track record so far. “I’m not sure if I’m going to run again in two years... I’ll tell you I’m very happy to see that the work we’ve done to bring crime down, shows that I did what I told you I would do when I ran again for this office.” mbj