Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The driver of a vehicle in which investigators allegedly found a bag containing a white crystalline substance and drug paraphernalia has been arrested and charged with unlawful possession of drugs.

Anetone Solomona made his initial appearance in Court last month. He later waived his right to a preliminary examination and his case has been bound over to High Court.

Solomona, 40, is charged with one count of unlawful possession of meth, a felony punishable by imprisonment of 5-10 years, a fine between $5,000-$20,000 or both.

Bail is set at $5,000.

THE CASE

The government claims that a vehicle was pulled over by traffic police officers on the early morning of Oct. 19, 2022 on the Iliili public highway for speeding.

The vehicle was driven by a female individual, while Solomona, the defendant, and another man were sitting in the back seat.

When asked for a driver’s license, the driver told police said she did not have any form of identification on her. It was later confirmed that her license expired Oct. 20, 2020.

As the officer was speaking to the driver, he noticed Solomona pushed something under his seat. And when Solomona removed his hand, the officer saw cut up straws lying on the floor where Solomona was sitting.

Everyone was then instructed to exit the vehicle. The driver was told that the vehicle would be impounded at the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) and all of them would be taken in for questioning. The driver and the other male passenger agreed but Solomona resisted, saying he needed to go to his church choir singing practice — but later agreed to go with police.

Before Solomona got into the police unit, cops checked the back seat to make sure everything was clear. At the TPS, the two cops who escorted Solomona said four empty stamp-sized baggies fell out when Solomona exited the police unit. One officer asked Solomona about the baggies and he told officers he didn’t know anything about the drugs.

A search of the police unit was carried out where Solomona was seated. The search netted a small pouch on the floor containing a clear glass pipe with meth; 7 empty stamp-sized baggies, and 3 empty medium-sized baggies. The white crystalline substance tested positive for meth.

During a body search, officers found two small stamp-sized baggies containing a white crystalline substance inside his pants. In his statement to investigators, Solomona said he bought the baggies containing meth from a friend at the market, while the glass pipe with meth didn’t belong to him.

The driver, along with the other passenger, was also patted down for contraband and nothing was found. They were both released after questioning pending further investigation.