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Mother of 5 to be sentenced next month for meth possession

American Samoa High Court building
ausage@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A mother of five charged with possession of drugs has entered into a plea agreement with the government.

Lili Apolo was initially facing one count of unlawful possession of a controlled substance  (methamphetamine), an unclassified felony. But under a plea agreement with the government, accepted by the court late last week, Apolo pled guilty to the amended and lesser charge of unlawful possession of methamphetamine, a class D felony, punishable by imprisonment of up to 5 years, a fine of up to $5,000 or both.

Apolo admits that on Jan. 11, 2019 — during a traffic stop — she had in her possession 2 stamp-sized baggies containing meth. On the day in question, Apolo’s vehicle was pulled over because her license plate light was not on, and her blinker wasn’t on when she turned into Vaitogi.

When police approached Apolo and asked for her driver’s license, Apolo said she didn’t have it on her, neither did she have any other form of identification. While speaking to Apolo, a cop noticed a cut-up straw commonly used to scoop meth, on the back seat of the vehicle.

The vehicle was impounded and an inventory — conducted in Apolo’s presence — netted a stamp-sized baggie with a small amount of a crystalline substance, which later tested positive as meth. Cops found another stamp-sized baggie containing meth during a body search of Apolo.

When asked about the baggies, Apolo told police she had no knowledge of the baggies and its contents.

But she did admit to cops that she started smoking ice 4 months prior, saying it gives her strength to do her chores at home. Apolo has been in custody since her arrest, unable to post a $5,000 surety bond.

She will be sentenced Aug. 1st