Drug charge lodged after traffic stop

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A 29-year old man has been charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine (meth), following a traffic stop earlier this month.

Taliu Lualima is held on bail of $3,000.

According to the government’s case on February 10, 2023 Traffic Officers conducted a vehicle stop of a truck in Faleniu and discovered the defendant does not have a valid driver’s license.

The defendant was then taken to the police station for further investigation. During a pat down, police discovered a glass pipe from Taliu's waistband and observed that it contained a crystalline substance. The pipe, was confiscated, along with a lighter and Lualima’s hospital card.

Police tested the crystalline substance from the glass pipe and the results came back positive for meth.