Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A man who was arrested during a traffic stop last month when illegal drugs were allegedly found in his possession told police that he bought drugs from the area called “Le Filifili” for his own personal use.

Filipo Faafetai made his initial appearance in District Court this month where the court set his bail at a $5,000 surety bond.

Faafetai is now charged with one count of unlawful possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine, a felony punishable by a term of imprisonment of not less than five nor more than ten years and a fine of not less than $5,000 nor more than $20,000, or both.

THE AFFIDAVIT

According to the government’s case, it was about 11:40a.m on, Oct. 24th while two police officers were patrolling in Nu’uuli heading east when they observed an oncoming vehicle driving recklessly heading west. Officers turned around and proceeded to chase after the vehicle, which turned into an Asian store’s parking lot area in Nu’uuli.

Officers arrived and observed the driver standing outside of his vehicle acting as if he was trying to fix it. Upon approaching the driver, he identified himself to police officers as Filipo Faafetai, the defendant in this matter.

When asked what he was doing, the defendant responded by stating he was trying to fix his vehicle and that something was wrong with the gas pedal. When asked for his driver’s license, the defendant stated that he had a driver’s license but did not have it in his possession.

Officers used the defendant’s name to run through the driver’s license system at the main station in Fagatogo and the system could not locate any records indicating the name given by the defendant.

The defendant was informed, and told that the vehicle would be impounded because he was operating it without a driver’s license. The driver continued to argue with the officers that he had a license, while walking to the passenger’s side of the vehicle.

It was at that time when officers observed the defendant reach inside of his vehicle, grab a cellphone along with sunglasses. The officers clearly observed the defendant reach into his pocket and then toss something away from him. The officers discovered that the item tossed out by the defendant was a glass pipe commonly used to smoke methamphetamine or ice.

When the two officers attempted to arrest the defendant, the defendant resisted.

The officers then called for backup and were able to place the defendant under arrest and transport him to the Tafuna Police Substation for questioning. The matter was transferred to investigators from the DPS Vice and Narcotic Unit to handle.

The glass pipe containing white crystalline substance tested positive for methamphetamine.

When questioned about the glass pipe, the defendant immediately confessed to investigators and stated that the glass pipe belonged to him, and that he had purchased a straw about an inch and a half long containing methamphetamine for $50 for his own personal use, from an unknown man up in the area called “Le Filifili”.