The well known “Le Aute Sports Bar” in Tualatai District has been raided, along with several residences near the area, or residences of those related to the owner of the bar, say police officers who were not authorized to talk to the media.

More than ten police vehicles packed with police officers from all the divisions of the Department of Public Safety headed down to the area where Aute is located and more than 50 police officers participated in executing several search warrants during the raid. Also involved in the raid were police dogs, trained to search for drugs and weapons. The police officers were armed either with shotguns or revolvers.

Traffic slowed when the public reached the area as police officers blocked off the road to Aute and no one was allowed to enter or exit, including some of the government vehicles such as one with American Samoa Power Authority men, who had a project near the area affected by the search.

The raid started at 9:30a.m. and ended around 2:00p.m. Samoa News saw four police trucks loaded with close to 15 men and one woman who were taken into police custody for questioning following the raid. Some police officers remained at the substation in Tafuna for the questioning, while others returned to the scene.

Samoa News saw one of the police captains with a shot gun in the first house on the hill turning into the Aute area.

The Captain was seen watching over three young men whose hands were tied with cable ties while other police officers executed a search on the house nearby. One woman who was in a TOFR vehicle attempted to go to her house near the area in order to pick up her daughter who was sick, however police officers would not let her enter.

The woman then took another route which was a short cut to her house, and was able to pick up her daughter and take her to the hospital.

Samoa News was in the area, parked across from where the raid occurred, and a traffic officer was instructed by Chief of Police Tauese Va’a Sunia to have the reporter leave the area. However, this Samoa News reporter stayed.

Efforts to obtain officials comments from Acting Police Commissioner Vaimaga Maiava were unsuccessful as of press time. It’s unclear as to what happened to the men and the woman, who were taken into police custody, and it is not known if they have been officially charged, as of press time.