Man arrested for allegedly selling meth and marijuana to young man from Tafuna

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Jeremiah Taulaga, a 37-year-old father of two with an outstanding arrest warrant was picked up by police last month and charged with unlawful possession of drugs after a woman told authorities that her nephew bought two marijuana cigarettes and a glass pipe containing methamphetamine (meth) from him.

When cops arrested the man, they also discovered illegal drugs in his possession.

Taulaga made his initial appearance in court last month.

The government has filed two separate criminal cases against Taulaga who is also on probation for a felony conviction in High Court from 2019 where he was convicted for burglary and stealing.

In the first case, Taulaga is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute and one count of meth with the intent to distribute, both unclassified felonies punishable by imprisonment between 5-10 years, a fine between $5,000- $20,000 or both.

In the second case, he is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, and unlawful possession of meth, both felonies.

The court established bond at $10,000 cash for the first case; and $5,000 surety for the second case.

THE ALLEGATION

 According to the government, a woman from Tafuna contacted police for assistance, after she found two marijuana cigarettes and a glass pipe containing meth inside her nephew’s wallet that was left in her vehicle. The woman told police she’s tired of her nephew’s routine — spending money to buy drugs from a man named “Jerry” every time he gets paid.

The woman further stated that when she confronted her nephew two months ago about a marijuana cigarette she found inside her vehicle used by her nephew, and he (nephew) lied to her saying he had no idea who owned the marijuana cigarette found inside the vehicle.

According to the woman, when she inquired about the drugs she found in her nephew’s wallet, her nephew lied again saying he doesn’t know anything about the drugs. However, after she told her nephew that she’s going to call police regarding the drugs, her nephew then told her he bought them from his friend Jerry, who is a taxi driver.

The woman told police that this is the same name she got from her other nephews who told him that there is a taxi driver who comes around their area every Saturday morning selling drugs to anybody in the village including her nephew.

The woman further stated to police that based on the information she received from her nephew and other young family members, Jerry is the person who has allegedly supplied them with illegal drugs for over a year now and sometimes they get their drugs for free.

Samoa News understands that the woman’s nephew was arrested three months ago and charged with third degree assault and private peace disturbance, on the allegations that he assaulted another man during a drinking session.

An arrest warrant was issued for Jerry following a report submitted by the DPS to the AG’s Office. Jerry was later identified as Jeremiah Taulaga, the defendant in this matter.

THE CASE

Taulaga was apprehended on June 10, 2022, when police served him with an arrest warrant and he tried to flee. However, he was apprehended by officers and later transported to the TPS for further investigation.

When he was patted down, a clear ziplock baggie containing what appeared to be green leafy substance fell from the front right side of Taulaga’s pants. Police also found a glass pipe containing a white crystalline substance residue, inside the right pocket of his pants.

The green leafy substance tested positive for THC, the active compound in marijuana, while the white crystalline substance found in the glass pipe tested positive for meth.

When questioned by investigators about the drugs, Taulaga denied the accusation that he sells drugs. He said he bought drugs from a man in Iliili using his own money to give to his friend from Nu’uuli. He told investigators that his friend from Nu’uuli never pays him any money for the drugs because he did it for him as a friend.

BACKGROUND

Taulaga was one of three men the High Court sentenced to 28 months imprisonment back in July 2019, after they were convicted for burglarizing a home and a store in the Tafuna area.

Taulaga and his co-defendant were each convicted of first-degree burglary and stealing, both class C felonies.

The incident came to light when a woman whose house was burglarized saw a young girl wearing a black T-shirt belonging to her daughter. When the man confronted the girl about the T-shirt, the girl said it belonged to her brother, Lalomauga Filo.

Filo was Taulaga’s co-defendant in that case.

When police searched Filo’s home Taulaga was there along with several stolen items including clothes, shoes, DVD players, cell phones, several electronics, tools and a laptop. Most of the stolen items were returned to the owner.

Police also found two glass pipes commonly used to smoke meth inside Filo’s house during their search. Filo told cops that the house belonged to his  brother-in-law and the glass pipes also belonged to his brother-in-law who was off-island at the time of the arrest.