Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A female driver and a male passenger in a vehicle pulled over by police officers for a seat belt violation last month are now in custody after officers discovered illegal drugs and paraphernalia inside the vehicle.

Moreover, the male passenger was the same person allegedly involved in a hot pursuit with police three nights prior. However, police were unable to apprehend him, despite the fact that two senior police officers were able to identify him.

When police officers approached the vehicle they pulled over for the seat belt violation, they identified the driver as Agnes Sefulutasi and the male passenger as Alofa Seumanu. Both are not new to the court, with each having previous convictions in the District Court.

THE CASE

The government claims that on the afternoon of May 16, 2022, police pulled over a vehicle whose passengers were not wearing their seat belts.

While officers were trying to explain the reason for the traffic stop, the driver, who was later identified as Agnes Sefulutasi was speaking on the phone. Officers overheard Sefulutasi’s conversation with the person on the phone, saying that they were in trouble because cops had pulled over their vehicle.

The driver, Sefulutasi when asked by officers for her driver’s license, said she didn’t have it with her. Her name was then run through the Office of the Motor Vehicle’s (OMV) system and it turned out that her driver’s license had expired two years ago. She told officers that she hadn’t renewed her driver’s license, because she feared that she might get locked up because she had an outstanding warrant for her arrest two years ago for involvement with a group of friends in a burglary incident in Malaeimi.

(Police had no information to prove that there was a warrant to arrest Sefulutasi for involvement in any burglary case.)

Police also checked the truck’s license plate and discovered that it did not belong to the truck.

Both Sefulutasi and Seumanu were then asked to step out of the vehicle.

Sefulutasi was patted down and two cut-up straws containing a white crystalline substance were found inside her left pants pocket, leading to her immediate arrest. The search continued to her t-shirt and officers discovered a small stamp-sized baggie containing a green leafy substance.

A glass pipe containing a white crystalline substance was also discovered inside the vehicle between the driver’s and the passenger’s seats, along with one hand rolled cigarette containing a green leafy substance.

Seumanu was also patted down and a glass pipe containing a white crystalline substance was discovered in his pants pocket, along with two hand rolled cigarettes, and inside the rear pocket of his pants a glass pipe containing a white crystalline substance and $460 cash were found.

Members of the DPS Vice and Narcotics Unit were notified about the illegal drugs, and two detectives were assigned to investigate.

Both Sefulutasi and Seumanu were taken to the TPS for questioning and interviews were conducted with each defendant in different rooms.

When asked about the illegal substances discovered in his possession, Seumanu told police it belonged to him.

In his written statement, Seumanu stated that the man who owns the drugs is his best friend and he was acting as a runner and he gets paid for his job, which he has done for over two months now.

He also explained that he had called Sefulutasi to be his driver to deliver some stuff, because his wife and children were using the family vehicle.

Seumanu said that on their way to drop off the stuff, he gave 2 cut-up straws containing meth and the baggie of marijuana to Sefulutasi for helping him.

When asked about his involvement in a hot pursuit with police on the previous night, Seumanu denied any involvement in a hot pursuit. He told investigators his wife and children were at a church camp and they have had their only family vehicle with them.

Sefulutasi was also questioned and she confirmed Seumanu’s account of her involvement, as well as being shocked when Seumanu gave her the illegal drugs as a thank you for helping him.

She told investigators that she had no idea that there were other illegal drugs with them.

Both Sefulutasi and Seumanu were transported to jail where they were booked and confined.

Both made their initial appearances in Court last month.

Seumanu 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 possession of marijuana, all felonies.

Sefulutasi is charged with one count of unlawful possession of meth and one count of unlawful possession of marijuana, both felonies.

Seumanu’s bail is set at $15,000, and Sefulutasi’s at $5,000.

BACKGROUND

Seumanu was convicted by the High Court on the charge of conspiracy to commit fraud and sentenced to 5 years probation with the condition that he serve a period of detention of 20 months in prison.

He was one of the co-defendants involved in a stealing scam at a local supermarket some years ago, where Seumanu provided fake receipts to prove that money was already received.

Sefulutasi had been arrested and charged with one count of unlawful possession of meth, after a police raid of her friend’s house in Happy Valley in February of 2020, in which she was also present.

Sefulutasi’s case was bound over in High Court, and she remained in custody unable to post a $20,000 surety bond.

However, in August of last year, Sefulutasi’s case was dismissed after the court granted the government’s motion to dismiss the case against the defendant.

The government cited in their motion to dismiss that Sefulutasi was “in the wrong place at the wrong time.”