The 36 year old male arrested and charged for importing drugs from American Samoa has been confirmed as the driver for a cabinet minister and also a member of the Car Cruise Group club. This was confirmed during a joint press conference with Police and Customs on Wednesday.
The man from Vaitele-uta and Fasitoo-uta has been charged for importing 1.4 kilograms of methamphetamine from American Samoa in a targeted operation by Samoa’s Customs and Border Control authorities.
The drugs were hidden in a box of frozen chicken that had arrived on the Lady Samoa III from American Samoa last Saturday.
The accused remains in Police Custody until his first mention later this month.
The woman at the head of Samoa Customs and Border Control, CEO Afioga Fonoti Talaitupu Lia Taefu, said the x-ray scanner spotted a parcel inside the chicken box.
Half of the box contained chicken and the other half had a brown wrapping paper. The contents of that brown paper bag was later confirmed to be meth.
Police also seized cash of $1,393 from the suspect. Officials say he has received parcels from American Samoa before, but this is the first time he haslll been caught with illegal drugs.
There are renewed calls for tighter controls at the American Samoa border, with the increasing number of incidents where drugs have attempted to be smuggled drugs into Samoa.
This important issue is anticipated to be the subject of the Atoa o Samoa talks, said Fonoti.
“The concealment method demonstrates the continued attempts by criminal syndicates to smuggle dangerous drugs into Samoa through seemingly ordinary goods,” added the CEO of Samoa’s Ministry of Customs & Revenue.
Police also shared positive feedback on their “Say No to Drugs” campaign, saying many churches are joining in the effort.
Leiataua stressed that everyone must work together to keep Samoa safe.
The Acting Police Commissioner also welcomed a new review of the Samoa Police, Prisons and Corrections Services by the New Zealand Police.
He said New Zealand last carried out a similar audit in 2019, and the goal remains the same – to improve the ministry’s services and strengthen its systems to meet high standards.
The review will help identify weaknesses in the ministry’s structure, support improvements in prosecution work to reduce court case dismissals, and enhance investigations and training for both new recruits and current officers.
Leiataua said this assistance will help the ministry respond better to the public and perform its duties more effectively.
Pre Christmas Specials
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