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Shakedown at TCF yields electronics, not much else

Police officers from the Department of Public Safety conducted a shakedown at the Tafuna Correctional Facility (TCF) earlier this week. On Wednesday, after a tip from a confidential informant alleged that there was a gun inside the local prison, the officers made an unannounced raid.

 

The raid resulted in a number of items—specifically electronics—being confiscated, but no guns or drugs were found.

 

Samoa News understands that the entire cell block was shaken down.

 

The following day, police officers from the DPS main central station were again dispatched to the TCF. This time, according to DPS Deputy Commissioner Leseiau Laumoli, it wasn't for a shake down but instead, a call for help to assist the personnel at the TCF, which was understaffed that day.

 

A Samoa News source reports that the prisoners became unruly following the shakedown the day before and verbal threats were made against the prison warden, hence the call for assistance. Leseiau says it is not unusual for prisoners to become uneasy and get hyped up following a shakedown.

 

Samoa News contacted TCF warden Lumana'i Maifea for comments yesterday but he declined to say anything, except to say that even if the prisoners stab and shoot him, he still won’t provide a comment.

 

Samoa News understands that police were called in to help in the transferring of one of the Uli twins to the maximum security section of the prison for disruptive behavior that included strong verbal comments made towards the warden.

 

Marlon and Merlin Uli are currently being detained at the TCF, each of them serving out a ten-year sentence on drug related charges. While incarcerated, the twins were additionally charged with escape. Just last week, Marlon was acquitted on all four counts of escape (for deviating from his work release) by a jury of his peers. His brother Merlin was slapped with similar charges and a separate trial for him is set for later this month.