Ads by Google Ads by Google

Female driver discovered with drugs during traffic stop

American Samoa District Court building
ausage@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The female driver of a vehicle pulled over by police last month in Leone for blacked out tail lights is now charged with violating local drug laws. 

On Apr. 14, 2021 about 12:00 midnight, a vehicle was pulled over by traffic officers on the Leone public highway due to blacked out tail lights. Officers approached the driver of the vehicle, who was later identified as Rosa Levi, the defendant in this matter.

According to the government, Levi did not possess a driver’s license nor did she have any sort of identification on her. She was told that the vehicle would be impounded at TPS due to her lack of ID.

A pat down was conducted at the scene by a female police officer, who found a glass pipe commonly used to smoke methamphetamine (meth) inside her left pants pocket, and also discovered was some white residue inside the glass pipe and two hand rolled marijuana (weed) cigarettes.

When asked about the hard object felt in her back pocket, Levi smiled and replied, “it’s nothing”.

According to the information from the two police officers, a 17-year -old female was also sitting inside vehicle.

The white residue inside the glass pipe was tested utilizing a field test, and yielded positive results for meth. The green leafy substance in the two hand rolled cigarettes was also tested, utilizing a field test, the test yielded positive results for THC, the active ingredient weed.

When asked about the alleged illegal drugs, Levi told investigators that she was on her way to drop off her sister to her aunt when her vehicle was pulled over by police. She saw a glass pipe and two hand rolled marijuana cigarettes in the vehicle, and because she was nervous and scared, she grabbed them and put them inside her pants pocket.

The case was transferred to the DPS Vice and Narcotics/ K9 Unit because alleged illegal drugs were involved. 

Levi made her initial appearance in District Court last month. 

Levi is charged with one count of unlawful possession of methand one count of unlawful possession of weed, both unclassified felonies, punishable by a term of imprisonment of not less than five nor more than ten years and a fine of not less than $5,000 nor more than $20,000, or both. 

Bail is set at $10,000.