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Defendant’s wife arrives with his valid driver’s license — but it was already too late for him

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ausage@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The driver of a truck 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.

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

Iosua, 40, is charged with one count of unlawful possession of methamphetamine (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

On the early morning of Dec. 23, 2021, police officers pulled over a speeding pick-up coming from the West, in which they also observed that the driver of the vehicle was not wearing his seatbelt.

The driver identified himself to the officers as Roy Iosua, the defendant in this case. He was alone in the vehicle.

Before officers could explain to Iosua the reason for the stop, the defendant quickly told officers that he had forgotten his driver’s license at home but it’s still valid. He also told officers that his immigration ID is still valid, but he doesn’t know where he put it.

As they spoke, officers noticed that Iosua was nervous and fidgeting a lot. Officers then informed Iosua that they were going to impound his vehicle at the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) because he did not have a driver’s license or other ID.

Prior to transportation to TPS, officers conducted a body search on Iosua, as per norm, and found a small baggie containing white crystalline substance inside his right pocket. Nothing was found inside the vehicle when officers conducted an inventory search on it.

When asked about the baggie’s contents, Iosua admitted to police that the meth belonged to him. He told officers that he’s not a dealer but he only uses meth occasionally. Iosua apologized to officers for his actions and begged them for a second chance.

An hour later, Iosua’s wife arrived at the TPS with the defendant’s driver’s license and his Immigration ID.