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Marijuana dealer from Mapusaga Fou pleads guilty

Just say no to marijuana symbol
Police were alerted by the wife of his ‘regular customer’
ausage@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A man accused of selling hand rolled marijuana cigarettes to two men last year has entered into a plea agreement with the government.

Poutasi Ikenasio, 42, of Mapusaga Fou appeared in court last week for a pretrial conference. However, his defense attorney, informed the court that they have reached an agreement — which was read aloud in open court.

Ikenasio, a farmer, was initially charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance (marijuana) with the intent to distribute; and unlawful possession of a controlled substance (marijuana).

Under a plea agreement with the government, accepted by the court, Ikenasio pled guilty to a lesser, amended charge, a class D felony punishable by up to 5 years in jail, a fine of up to $5,000 or both.

With his guilty pled, Ikenasio admits that on June 14, 2018 in Tafuna, he sold 6 hand rolled marijuana cigarettes to two men who came to him to buy drugs.

He said he sold 4 hand rolled marijuana cigarettes to the first man for $40 and two to the second man for $20.

According to Ikenasio, both men are regular customers, they always come to him when they need drugs.

The case was reported to the DPS Tafuna Substation by a woman who told police that she found 2 hand rolled cigarettes inside her husband’s pants pocket.

The government claims that a verbal argument erupted between the woman who reported the matter and her husband, after the man used his paycheck to buy drugs from Ikenasio, instead of buying food for their children.

The woman told police that Ikenasio is her husband’s cousin, and he’s been in the business of selling drugs to men of the village for many years; however, nobody bothered to report it to police out of fear of Ikenasio and his family.

Armed detectives of the DPS Vice & Narcotics Unit carried out a search of Ikenasio’s home and plantation, looking for drugs.

According to the government, drugs, firearms, and drug paraphernalia were discovered in Ikenasio’s home.

Ikanasio, who is out on a $10,000 surety bond, will be sentenced August 2nd.