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Police arrest older youth and high school students for underage drinking

TCF GATE
The legal drinking age in American Samoa is 21 years old
reporters@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On April 11, 2025, school administrators contacted the Fagatogo Police Station (FPS) and reported high school students consuming alcoholic beverages with older kids.

All nine suspects were apprehended and the older suspects were charged as follow:

Miracle Alaiilima, Toa Toeitititi, Samasoni Finauga, Elmaine Lavasi’i were charged with: Count 1: Underage Consumption of Alcohol, a class B misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to six months, a fine of $500, or both imprisonment and fine; and, Count 2: Prohibited Place of Consumption, a class B misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to six months, a fine of $500, or both.

Alaiilima was additionally charged with Count 3: Endangering The Welfare of a Child, a class A misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to one year, a fine of $1,000 or both.

There was no bail set for the defendants.

According to the court affidavit, on Apr. 11th, at approximately 11:00 a.m., the FPS received a call from a high school principal. The principal reported that several students were consuming alcoholic beverages in front of the beach near the school during school hours.

Police officers responded and upon arrival they were approached by the school’s vice principal (VP) who briefed them regarding the call. The VP verbally stated that she found the kids drinking and smoking in one of the houses on the beach, which led to her contacting the FPS for assistance.

The group of students included five individuals under the age of 18 — there were four females and one male. The four other individuals in the drinking and smoking group were of the ages of 18 and 19 — 3 males and one female. Cans of an alcohol beverage, two packs of cigarettes, a lighter, and a vape were found at the scene.

Authorities apprehended all nine of the suspects and detected a strong smell of alcohol emitting from them.

Arriving at the FPS station, information was obtained from the nine individuals, as to their identities, ages, names, etc. and included their parents’ contact information.

The authorities contacted the parents to come to the station to assist them during questioning.

Later, the older kids were Mirandized while the juvenile suspects were questioned one by one in the presence of their parents. They all admitted to consuming alcohol beverages and claimed that it was provided by Miracle Alaiilima.

The parents were notified that their kids would be released to them but would still have to appear in District Court.

Alaiilima was booked and confined at the Tafuna Correctional Facility to await the next available sitting of the District Court, while Lavasi’i, Finauga, and Toeitititi were booked and released.

It should be noted that the legal drinking age in American Samoa is 21 years old.