12 Oct 2013

American Samoa man faces drugs charges over marijuana discovery

9:25 am on 12 October 2013

In American Samoa, a man who turned up at the main dock to collect bales of personal effects off a container ship from California has been charged with possession of drugs.

Niusila Suani was arrested earlier this week after a routine customs inspection of goods consigned to him found sandwich bags with marijuana.

These were hidden in buckets of detergent that were inside the 55 gallon bales, which also contained clothes, and food.

The police say the marijuana found inside the bales weighed 6.5 pounds, with an estimated street value of over 20-thousand US dollars.

Mr Suani, believed to be a US army reservist has been charged with 2 counts of unlawful possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute.