Samoa’s Supreme Court sentenced four people convicted over a December 2019 police raid at Fa’atoia, near Apia, in which police found marijuana and methamphetamine in a bedroom.[1] Ana Fuimaono, 12 weeks pregnant, and Stewart Tuitama were jailed after Justice Vui Clarence Nelson drew from the trial evidence that she dealt in marijuana and he dealt in methamphetamine, known in Samoa as ice.[1] A later Samoa Global News account records that Fuimaono was arrested with four men and another woman when police found guns and narcotics in a Faatoia house while responding to a domestic violence call on Boxing Day 2019.[2] That account also records that Fuimaono was convicted in February 2021 and sentenced to two years in April 2021.[2]

AJ Roache, whom the court described as having a drug and alcohol problem, was jailed for two years on all the charges arising from the incident, including possession of two grams of ice.[1] Sanele Schuster, whose culpability the court found the least, avoided prison and was fined $2,000 for taking part in the smoking party by smoking marijuana.[1] The charge of possessing methamphetamine against Schuster was dismissed.[1] Fuimaono, Roache and Tuitama pleaded not guilty to the joint charges of possessing marijuana and methamphetamine and were found guilty after the trial.[1]

The evidence came largely from Pitoitua Aloese, a co-defendant who became the prosecution’s star witness and testified to a gathering at his Fa’atoia house on 26 December 2019.[1] Aloese told the court that Fuimaono arrived with a bag of marijuana and that Tuitama, half an hour later, exchanged methamphetamine for marijuana with her.[1] According to the police evidence reported at sentencing, police convened a large raiding party to enter and search Aloese’s property at Fa’atoia.[1]