The government has filed nine charges against Alaivaa Mase in connection with the drug bust at the Customs warehouse last Monday.
Mase is being held without bail and had his initial appearance in District Court on Monday.
According to court filings, on December 15, police were alerted by customs agents that two FedEx boxes were seized from an off-island cargo shipment. One of the boxes contained two vacuum-sealed packages of suspected methamphetamine, one weighing about 4.2 ounces and the other weighing 16.4 ounces.
The second box contained a vacuum-sealed package of suspected methamphetamine weighing about 16.1 ounces and 12 cartridges of suspected THC oil for use in a vape pen.
The addressee of both boxes was listed as D. Mose.
Before Customs turned the two boxes to police, they conducted their own field tests, which confirmed their suspicions that the substances were methamphetamine and THC, a compound found in cannabis.
Court filings state that police arranged for a controlled delivery of the two suspect boxes with local shipping company Cargo Services Logistics (CSL) to await the intended recipient, who was later identified as the defendant, Alaivaa Mase.
It’s alleged that on December 18, Mase called CSL saying that would be arriving at the CSL between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. on Friday, December 19, to pick up the boxes.
That day, Mase arrived at the CSL facility to collect the FedEx boxes, and police apprehended him after he exited the CSL office carrying the packages.
The court filings says that when questioned, Mase did not accept responsibility for the methamphetamine and claimed the packages contained CDs and DVDs.
Police also conducted field tests of the suspected drugs, which yielded positive results for methamphetamine and THC.
The court filings further state that Mase had about $9,500 cash in his possession when he was apprehended by police.
Police believe that the amount of methamphetamine found was inconsistent with personal use and consistent with distribution.
Mase is charged with three counts of possession of a controlled substance, three counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, and three counts of importation of contraband.
