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Court Report: Drugs found after search warrant issued over alleged burglary

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ausage@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A quantity of methamphetamine (meth) was allegedly found on a man from Tafeta when police arrested him in the Malaeimi area last month, for his involvement in an incident where he and another man broke into a store in Tafuna in July of this year and stole several items.

During Faaleo Eneliko’s arrest, officers discovered drugs on him.

Eneliko did not agree to comply when police approached him and started acting disorderly when a police captain patted him down for any weapons. When Eneliko started resisting more, officers from the Fagatogo Central Station (FCS) ran over to assist and placed Eneliko in handcuffs.

Police searched the defendant’s body after his hands were cuffed and found two baggies: one in the right pants pocket containing a white crystalline substance and one in his left pocket containing a green leafy substance.

Both substances were tested and resulted positive for meth and THC/ marijuana respectively.

The search was moved to the defendant’s home according to the search warrant and no drugs were found, but several items found were identified as commonly used by people distributing drugs — like empty stamp sized baggies, scissors, scale, propane tank and an empty glass pipe commonly used to smoke meth.

After he was Mirandized, Eneliko said he wished to make a statement.

In his statement, he noted he was surprised when arrested, and that he had just come from Taputimu where he had reloaded from a drug dealer.

Eneliko said he usually bought meth for $350 cash but the dealer gave it to him for about $100 because it was his brother’s birthday next week.

The green leafy substance was purchased from another dealer in the same area for about $100.

The estimated street value of the meth and marijuana allegedly discovered on the defendant is about $4,000- $5,000.

When Eneliko made his initial appearance in court he was charged with unlawful possession of meth, one count of unlawful possession of meth with the intent to distribute; one count of unlawful possession of marijuana; and one count of unlawful possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute; all unclassified felonies, punishable by imprisonment from 5- 10 years, a fine of up to $20,000 or both, along with one count of stealing and one count of burglary, both felonies.

Bail is set at $10,000.

Eneliko waived his rights to a preliminary examination (PX) during his initial appearance and his case was bound over to High Court where he appeared two weeks ago, entering a not guilty plea.

Pretrial conference is next month.

ALESANA TAPUALA

A man who unlawfully entered a home in Petesa last month with the intention of sexually assaulting a woman who was sleeping in the living room is now in custody.

During his arrest, police found a glass pipe containing a white crystalline substance in his possession.

Alesana Tapuala, 30, made his initial appearance in District Court last month.

He is charged with one count of unlawful possession of meth, an unclassified felony, punishable by term of imprisonment from 5-10 years, a $20,000 fine of both; one count of attempted burglary in the second degree, a class D felony, punishable by imprisonment of up to 5 years, a fine of up to $5,000, or both; along with one count of public peace disturbance (PPD), a misdemeanor.

Bail was set at $15,000.

THE CASE

On Sept. 22, 2022, a man contacted the TPS requesting police assistance at his residence in Petesa regarding a male who tried to break into his house while his partner was inside the house sleeping. His partner had called him while he was at work to tell him of the incident.

The reporter told police that he asked his partner if she knew who it was and she said yes, “It’s a guy by the name “Ala”. Ala is the nickname for Alesana Tapuala, the defendant in this matter.

Tapala lives two houses away from the victim’s house with his uncle and his family.

Officers visited Tapuala’s residence and found him sitting at the back of the house, and he was immediately apprehended and transported to TPS for questioning.

Officers also interviewed the victim about what allegedly happened. In a written statement, the victim explained that she woke up when she felt someone touching her inappropriately. That’s when she saw a man standing beside her. 

She then screamed for help and her neighbor quickly came into her house to assist her. The defendant, who was standing inside the living room, immediately jumped out the window and fled.

The victim’s neighbor confirmed to investigators that she had run to help her neighbor when she heard her screaming loudly for help. She also noted that she saw a man standing inside the living room, due to the light from the kitchen.

It was during a pat down of the defendant, prior to his being taken into TPS for questioning, police discovered a glass pipe containing a white crystalline substance.

The defendant told police the alleged incident — of him touching the victim inappropriately did not happen. Instead, he said he only held the woman’s left hand in an effort to wake her up. However, he was shocked when another woman opened the front door and walked inside the house.

He turned around and ran outside of the house and disappeared because he doesn’t want anybody to know that he was inside the victim’s house.

When asked by investigators why he fled from inside the house, Tapuala said that he was scared.

When asked by investigators why he fled the scene, Tapuala said that he was scared.

WAYNE PULOU

A man accused of violating local drug laws told the court through a combined plea agreement with the government that allegations against him are true. He was later released to await sentencing next month after the court accepted his change of plea.

Wayne Pulou, who has been in custody since his arrest this year appeared in High Court last week for his Change of Plea (COP) hearing.

Pulou was initially charged with unlawful possession of meth. But in a plea agreement with the government, accepted by the court, Pulou pled guilty to a lesser, amended charge, a class D felony punishable by up to 5 years in jail, a fine of up to $5,000 or both.

With his plea, Pulou admits that on Oct. 22, 2021, he unlawful possessed a plastic baggie containing meth.

According to terms of the plea agreement, Pulou was arrested during a traffic stop after police pulled over his vehicle for speeding. At the time, Pulou didn’t have his driver’s license, or any photo identification in his possession, which resulted in his vehicle being impounded by police, and he transported to the TPS.

Before he was transported to the TPS, he was patted down and during a body search, the officer discovered two plastic baggies containing meth.

Sentencing is set for next month.

EVENI OLATAGA

A man driving while his license is permanently suspended from previous DUI convictions is now facing a felony charge.

The government claims that it was on a Saturday morning last month when a police officer observed a vehicle being driven on the main road in Pago Pago, without a rear license plate.

The vehicle was pulled over, and the driver identified himself as Eveni Olataga, the defendant in this case.

The officer contacted the DPS dispatcher for more information regarding the vehicle and the driver. The dispatcher informed the officer that the license plate at the front of the vehicle did not match the vehicle he had just pulled over, and that Olataga’s driver’s license had been permanently suspended on Feb. 24, 2021 — after the he was convicted of his 3rd DUI.

The defendant told the officer that he had forgotten his license at home; and when asked if it was true that his license was permanently suspended, the defendant denied it, repeating that he did not have his license with him — it was at home.

Olataga made his initial appearance in court last month where he was charged with one count of felony driving, a class D felony, punishable by imprisonment of up to 5 years, a fine of up to $5,000, or both.

Bail was set at $5,000.

If he posts bond, the court ordered Olataga not to drive any motor vehicle in American Samoa.

During his initial appearance, Olataga waived his rights to a PX and his case was bound over to the High Court where he entered a not guilty plea to the single charge against him during his arraignment last week.

Pretrial conference is set for next month.