Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Two men were arrested during a traffic stop two weeks ago due to alleged possession of illegal drugs. Both were booked and confined at the Territorial Correctional Facility (TCF). They are Filoi Salu, who is now officially charged, while the other individual was released after 48 hours.

Salu made his initial appearance in District Court last week.

He is charged with one count of unlawful possession of methamphetamine, an unclassified felony punishable by imprisonment from 5-10 years, a fine of up to $20,000, or both.

Bail is set at $5,000.

THE CASE

On Dec. 1st, 2020 about 2:20a.m, two police officers on the Western side of the island spotted a vehicle with no license plate light. The vehicle was stopped and empty beer cans were observed inside the vehicle, which had three occupants, the driver, and two passengers.

One of the officers approached the passenger sitting in the back seat first because he kept touching his shorts. He was later identified as Filoi Salu. The officer confronted Salu and asked him to step out from the vehicle because he felt unsafe seeing him with his hands in his pockets.

Salu refused and told the officer that he didn’t do anything illegal and he would not exit the vehicle. The officer instructed Salu again and told him that for their safety and the safety of everyone, he (Salu) needed to step out of the vehicle.

Salu agreed and voluntarily stepped out from the vehicle with his right hand still inside his right front pocket. The officer told Salu to take his right hand out from his pants pocket and asked him if he had anything in his pocket that might put them (officers) in harm’s way.

Salu responded angrily and said “No”. The officer then asked Salu to take out whatever was in his pocket. Salu told the officer to come and check his pocket.

According to the court affidavit, the officer asked Salu a couple of times and Salu responded that he had nothing inside his pants. The officer asked Salu for the fourth time to remove whatever was inside his pocket because it might be a weapon.

Salu then agreed that the officer could reach inside his pocket. The officer reached inside Salu’s back right pocket and later discovered a small stamp-sized baggie containing white crystalline substance inside, along with a glass pipe also containing a white crystalline substance.

 The officer then asked Salu about the discovery and his first response was that he found the items inside the vehicle when he was picked up by his friend, the driver. He then picked the items up and placed them inside his pocket.

His second response, when officers asked him again was that the items belonged to the driver of the vehicle, and the driver gave it to him when they were pulled over by police.

The officer then approached the driver of the vehicle, who was later identified as Vani Akeripa.

According to the officer, Akeripa was acting suspicious — and kept demanding that officers let him go home.

The officer then asked Akeripa to open the car door because there were also empty beer cans below where he was sitting.

The officer was standing facing Akeripa when Akeripa opened the door and that’s when the officer spotted several empty small stamp-sized baggies laying on the floor of the vehicle under the driver’s seat.

When asked about the empty baggies, Akeripa told officers that the vehicle belonged to his friend Salu, but Salu asked him to drive the vehicle because he (Salu) was drinking his beer and Salu didn't want to be caught driving while he’s under the influence of alcohol.

Akeripa further told police that he knew that Salu had illegal drugs in his possession during the time he entered the vehicle, but he did not want to say anything because he was just the driver.

When asked for his driver’s license, Akeripa did not possess his driver’s license nor any form of photo ID. For that reason, both men were transported to the TCF where they were held there for 48 hours.

Akeripa was released when his 48 hours expired, while Salu appeared in court the following morning for his initial appearance.