Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The driver of a vehicle involved in a traffic accident is now charged with violating local drug laws after cops found drugs inside his vehicle.

Falaula Filipo, 30, is charged with one count of unlawful possession of marijuana and one count of unlawful possession of meth, 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.

THE CASE

Traffic officers from the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) responded to a call about a car accident in Peseta where a red pick-up truck collided with another vehicle in front of the Tafuna Health Clinic.

A police officer who was at the scene during the accident placed the driver of the red pick-up truck inside the police unit for his safety. The driver of the red pick-up truck was later identified as Falaula Falaniko, the defendant in this case, and the pickup he drove was found to be registered to Maselusi Filipo, the defendant’s father.

Filipo did not have his driver’s license on him nor any other type of ID, which led to the defendant being transported to the TPS, while his vehicle was impounded.

The driver of the other vehicle was released to go home pending further investigation. Two eye witnesses who were at the scene also gave their statements to officers about what they observed that afternoon.

Before Filipo was escorted to the TPS, he was asked by officers if he had anything illegal on him, and he told police that he did. He further stated that the illegal drugs on him and inside his vehicle did not belong to him.

Officers then conducted a body search on Filipo and discovered one small stamp-sized baggie containing a white crystalline substance in the left pocket of his pants. During the search, police also smelled a strong odor of alcoholic beverage coming from the defendant’s person and breath.

Upon arrival at the TPS, officers conducted an inventory of the property inside the truck and discovered a white paper wrapped together under the rear left passenger seat that contained what appeared to be a pipe containing a green leafy substance, along with a wallet that had $370 cash in it.

The Vice & Narcotics Unit was called, and a detectives tested the contents of the small baggies with results pointing positive for meth, while the contents inside the pipe tested positive for THC/ marijuana.

Officers later found out that Filipo does have a driver’s license, but it had expired in July 2020.

Filipo told officers that the approximately $370 found on him was money from a man in Leone for fixing his vehicle. Filipo told cops he’s a mechanic.

After being Mirandized, the defendant informed investigators that he understood his rights and he agreed to make a statement about the incident.

According to Filipo, he was trying to play a song from his phone when the accident occurred in his vehicle. He was returning from a mechanic job he did in Leone and had stopped to buy groceries and 4 beers, and was on his way to pick up his sister-in-law.

When asked about the illegal drugs discovered in the vehicle and in his possession, Filipo told investigators that he found the illegal drugs inside the vehicle and they do not belong to him — they belong to the man who owns the vehicle he went to fix in Leone.

He told investigators that while he was fixing the man’s vehicle, the man asked for his car key so that he can go to the store to buy food and drinks for them.

Filipo refused to give investigators the name of the man from Leone who owns the vehicle he fixed.