Two men charged after Samoa raid finds 162 bags of marijuana
Samoa Police Service officers raided the Tafaigata area on 16 April 2019 and charged two men with possession of marijuana after seizing 162 plastic bags of dried leaves, branches and seeds. The men, aged 42 and 27, were charged at the Tuanaimato police station; no weight or court date was reported.
Two men were arrested and charged with possession of marijuana after a police
raid on the morning of 16 April 2019 in the Tafaigata area.[1][2]The men were
aged 42, from Vaitele Uta, and 27, from Tafaigata and Mulifanua, and were
charged at the Tuanaimato police station the day after the raid.[1]
Police said a concerning number of people had reported marijuana activity in the
Tafaigata area, prompting the raid.[1][2]Officers seized 162 plastic bags of
dried marijuana leaves, branches and marijuana seeds.[1][2]
The Samoa Police Service thanked the public for its support and asked people to
contact its Narcotics Division about illicit drugs.[1]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
The source gives no weight for the 162 plastic bags, so no kilogram figure is recorded.
The article gives no explicit date for the raid; 16 April 2019 is implied by its reference to the raid "yesterday morning" before the 17 April police statement, and the page was published on 18 April.
No court date or outcome is reported.
Only one accessible account was found; a Talanei report with the same wording could not be opened.
Customs officers at Apia Wharf intercepted suspected marijuana on a 25-year-old passenger and an undeclared firearm in a 42-year-old passenger's luggage after the MV Lady Samoa IV arrived from American Samoa. Both men were charged and handed to Samoa Police, Prisons and Corrections Services for investigation.
Tinofili Perenise, 28, was sentenced to one year and ten months in prison in Samoa after pleading guilty to possessing 45 marijuana cigarettes weighing 22.6 grams, which he admitted selling to fund his drug addiction. Police found the cigarettes and a glass pipe in a bag during a June search at Tafaigata, and the court treated the quantity and commercial intent as aggravating factors.
Sentenced 1Cannabis 22.6 gPrison 1 year and 10 months
A 44-year-old man from Vailele was detained at Faleolo International Airport on 8 June 2024 after customs officers found marijuana in his possession as he arrived from American Samoa. He was found with US$8,000 in cash, charged with possession of marijuana and released on bail to appear in court on 24 June.
Samoa police carried out three drug raids in Apia, seizing marijuana and methamphetamine with utensils, cash and firearms. Three people were arrested at two homes, and two men were charged with possession of narcotics and remanded in custody.
