Man accused in drug case seeks jury trial

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A man accused of violating local drug laws had asked the court to set his matter for trial.

Aleki Faitala, who had been in custody since his arrest last year, unable to post a $5,000 surety bond, appeared in court last month for his pretrial conference.

When his case was called, his defense attorney, Ryan Anderson informed the court that they had received discovery and an offer from the government, however, after reviewing it, his client wished to exercise his rights to a jury trial.

The court accepted the defense’s request for a trial, however, the court also informed the defense that due to the COVID-19 restrictions, there are other options they must consider such as a bench trial instead of jury trial.

Faitala is charged with one count of unlawful possession of methamphetamine (meth), a felony, punishable by imprisonment of not less than five nor more than 10 years, a fine of not less than $5,000 nor more than $20,000, or both.

The charge against Faitala stems from an incident when police arrested him and another man for disturbing the public peace. During the pat down, a small baggie containing meth was found by police in his pants.

When questioned by investigators, Faitala admitted that the drugs belonged to him and that he bought it from another man living in Iliili. Faitala further stated to police that he always buy drugs from the man whenever he needs it.