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Man busted in traffic stop was out on bond from previous drug case

American Samoa District Court building
ausage@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A man out on bond in relation to a drug case is now back in police custody for separate drug charges.

Taavili Samuelu made his initial appearance in District Court last month and is facing one count of unlawful possession of methamphetamine (meth) and one count of unlawful possession of marijuana, both felonies.

Bail is set at $10,000 and Samuelu is scheduled to appear in court next week for his preliminary examination (PX).

According to the government’s case, on August 18, 2022 traffic officers flagged a vehicle driven by the defendant. During the stop, police observed the the defendant holding something in his hand.

Officers asked the driver what was in his hand and the driver told him that it was a pipe used to smoke marijuana.

The officer then instructed the driver to step out of his vehicle, but the driver refused telling them he’s in a hurry to pick up his daughter from work and they must be back home quickly as his four younger children are waiting at home.

The driver was asked for the second time to exit the car, and that’s when officer allegedly spotted another pipe containing a white crystalline substance lying under the driver’s seat.

The officer asked the driver about the glass pipe on the floor under his seat and the driver said the glass pipe did not belong to him.

However, later, during a police interview, the defendant admitted the glass pipes found inside the vehicle belong to him and that he had bought the two pipes from a man in Futiga for $30.

Both glass pipes, one containing a green leafy substance and the other, a white crystalline substance were tested — yielding positive results for meth and marijuana, respectively.

Before he was booked and confined, Samuelu asked investigators if the new allegation against him affects his pending drug case. Investigators explained to Samuelu that the issue of his pending drug case falls under the jurisdiction of the Court, not them.

PENDING DRUG CASE

The defendant has a pending case before the High Court. This matter occurred on January 22, 2019, and was also a traffic stop.

In this matter the defendant was the driver and there were two passengers, a female and a male juvenile.

It’s alleged the defendant became disorderly and refused to comply with instructions as the officers tried to carry out a body search and when he was asked to take a Standardized Field Sobriety test.

Upon patting him down, police found on a sandwich sized baggie full of a green leafy substance. An inventory of the vehicle discovered further drugs in a white container under the driver’s seat.

The container held several medium sized baggies, one of which contained small stamp-sized baggies with a green leafy substance and there were several small baggies with a white crystalline substance also found.

In the driver’s side door was a small baggie containing a white crystalline substance, and several empty baggies were found in a plastic container while other empty baggies were discovered on the floor under the passenger’s seat.

Both the female passenger and the male juvenile were patted down and nothing was found on them.

The government stated the defendant and the female passenger were taken into custody for questioning while the male juvenile who was sitting in the passenger seat was released after he was questioned by investigators in the presence of his parents.

During questioning, Samuelu refused to talk. He was then booked and transferred to the TCF. The female passenger was released to go home.

The white crystalline substance and the green leafy substance allegedly discovered on the suspect and in the vehicle tested positive for meth and marijuana, respectively.

In this case, Samuelu is charged with one count of unlawful possession of meth; one count of unlawful possession of meth with the intent to distribute; one count of unlawful possess of marijuana; and one count of unlawful possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute — all felonies.

He was released on $20,000 surety bond while awaiting the outcome of his case.