Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On December 24, 2024, police officers stopped a vehicle due to expired tags, which led to Methamphetamine being found in the vehicle.

The driver was arrested and later charged with:

Count 1: Unlawful Possession of Controlled Substances (Methamphetamine), a felony punishable by a term of imprisonment of not less than five nor more than 10 years, and a fine of not less than $5,000 nor more than $20,000, or both; and,

Count 2: Unlawful Possession of Controlled Substance With Intent to Distribute (Methamphetamine), a felony punishable by a term of imprisonment of not less than five nor more than 10 years, and a fine of not less than $5,000 nor more than $20,000, or both.

The defendant’s bail was set at $10,000.

According to the court affidavit, on Dec. 24th,at about 7:40 p.m., police officers were patrolling the Nu’uuli area heading eastbound, when they stopped a dark color pickup truck with expired tags.

The officers approached the truck and discovered three men inside. Authorities later identified the driver as Kolby Feliua’i and they discovered he did not possess a driver’s license or any form of identification.

Feluia’i was detained and later escorted to the TPS for further investigation. His vehicle was also impounded.

The other two passengers were released at the scene after they were patted down and cleared.

Upon arrival at the TPS, the suspect was cited for traffic violations. However, due to expired tags and no driver’s license, they made the decision to hold the vehicle until further notice.

Therefore, an inventory of the vehicle was conducted before the suspect was released to go home. During the inventory, authorities discovered a small green container inside a small compartment underneath the steering wheel. Inside the small green container was a glass pipe (used to smoke meth) containing a usable amount of crystalline substances. Also inside the green compartment was a baggie containing two small clear stamped size baggies and four clear cut-up straws all filled with crystalline substances. MC rolling papers and a lighter was also found inside the vehicle.

When the suspect was asked about the items, the suspect claimed that he had no idea who owned the items.

The suspect was Mirandized to which he said he understood and wished to remain silent.

Feliua’i was booked and later confined at the Tafuna Correctional Facility to await the next available sitting of the District Court.

All the recovered substances were tested by the authorities and yielded positive results for methamphetamine. Evidence was documented and later turned into the evidence custodial. It was also noted that evidence recovered is inconsistent with items for personal use.