Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Tevita Tangilahu made his initial appearance before Judge Elvis P. Patea last week.

He is charged with one count of unlawful possession of methamphetamine; one count of unlawful possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute; one count of unlawful possession of marijuana; and one count or unlawful of marijuana with intent to distribute - all felonies. Bail is $30,000 and the preliminary examination (PX) is Thursday.

According to the government’s case, on Jan. 27th, two officers who were patrolling on the westside received a call about a vehicle pursuit in the Puapua area. The vehicle had turned left in Puapua and continued on to a dirt road. Officers approached the vehicles that were parked behind the dirt road, and that’s when a truck with no license plates backed up and almost hit the police unit.

The truck sped away and a police unit pursued it until they came to a dead end. That’s when a male excited and truck and fled on foot towards a plantation. Four cops chased down the male and later heard someone say, “Please, don’t shoot.” It was the driver, hiding in a bush with both hands up. During a body search, police found a bag containing six cut-up straws with a white crystalline substance and cash. The man was later identified as Tevita Tangilahu.

On their way back to his vehicle, Tangilahu allegedly told police he had “some illegal stuff” inside his vehicle.

A search of the truck netted a black bag that held a container with several medium baggies. One baggie had five cut-up straws containing a white crystalline substance.

Police found, during a more thorough search of the vehicle, 41 cut-up straws (one inch) containing a white crystalline substance; a small baggie containing a substantial amount of a white crystalline substance; one medium baggie filled with a green leafy substance and a hand rolled marijuana joint; and alot of cash.

The vehicle had no license plates and there was no key in the ignition, so it was left at the scene. When questioned, Tangilahu told police that everything found inside the vehicle belonged to the male vehicle owner. He further told police that he borrows his friend’s vehicle to pick up his crops from his plantation. The white crystalline substance and the green leafy substance found, tested positive for meth and marijuana, respectively.