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Man with outstanding number of traffic fines busted for drugs as well

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ausage@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A 35-year-old man with two bench warrants including a large sum of traffic fines owed to the court was arrested last month on allegations of unlawful drug possession.

William Tamafili made his initial appearance in Court last month and bail is set at $10,000 cash. He is charged with one count of unlawful possession of methamphetamine and one count of unlawful possession of marijuana, both unclassified felonies.

If he is able to post bail, Tamafili is ordered to pay $650 in outstanding fines, remain law abiding, not leave or attempt to leave the territory without the court’s permission, and not make any direct or indirect contact with the government’s witnesses.

During court proceedings, the defense attorney requested the two bench warrants issued for his client’s arrest quashed, saying Tamafili was unaware of his court hearings.

Before granting the defense submission, the court explained to Tamafili that if he makes bail that whenever he is ordered to appear in court, it’s his duty to make that his first priority. “… If you fail, the court will find you and hold you at the TCF without bail until the matter is resolved. So, take this first incident as a lesson.”

THE AFFIDAVIT

On Nov 22nd police stopped a red truck in Matu’u for a false license plate.

The vehicle was impounded and cops later found a clear glass pipe containing white crystalline substance. In addition, two glass pipes containing white crystalline substance, along with several empty small baggies commonly used to package meth were also discovered on the passenger side of the vehicle.

Police also found two hand rolled marijuana cigarettes on the floor under the driver’s seat.

Four people were in the vehicle: the driver, later identified as William Tamafili, the defendant in this matter, along with three male individuals, who were all taken into custody with the defendant, but later released to go home pending further investigations.

The driver had no license on him nor any other form of identification. Information received by police revealed that the vehicle was registered under the name Jennifer Tamafili, who is the defendant’s wife.

During the course of the investigation, one of the defendant’s friend’s told police that there was another glass pipe that Tamafili hid under his seat and Tamafili had warned him not to say anything because he didn’t want the cops to know anything about it.

Officers returned to the vehicle and discovered a glass pipe containing meth.

When questioned by police, the three passengers denied any knowledge of the glass pipes and drug paraphernalia that were found inside the vehicle. They said they were all Tamafili’s adding that they saw Tamafili hide something under his seat when their vehicle was pulled over, but they didn’t see what it was.

One of the male passengers told investigators when they were getting pulled over, he saw Tamafili place a glass pipe containing meth under his seat and Tamafili instructed him to hide the glass pipe, but he didn’t.

When confronted by police, Tamafili refused to provide a written statement. He verbally stated however, that he didn’t know who owned the glass pipes that were found in the vehicle, and he had asked his wife if he could use her vehicle to ride with his friends.

The crystalline substance in the clear glass pipes discovered netted positive results for meth, wile the green leafy substance from the hand rolled cigarettes tested positive for THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.