Commissioner of Public Safety Taaga Saite Moliga sees the need to work with Samoa Police and Customs to stop the flow of drugs from the territory to Samoa.
But he says he is waiting for the appointment of a police Commissioner in Samoa before initialing formal discussions.
The Commissioner points out that there’s already a framework for sharing of criminal intelligence information through the Transitional Crime Unit, of which he is the local contact for American Samoa.
KHJ News sought comment from the Commissioner after four incidents in which Samoa Customs and Police discovered crystal methamphetamine hidden in cases of chicken and a can of coffee mate creamer arriving on the inter island ferry from American Samoa and also on a traveler.
American Samoa customs only checks on incoming cargo but not outgoing cargo.
With the arrest of suspects connected to the recent drug smuggling cases, some have questioned why local law enforcement haven’t requested information from investigations on the Samoa cases, to help detect the sources of crystal methamphetamine in the territory. KHJ News understands that defendants in Samoa charged in the recent drug smuggling cases have given names of their suppliers in the territory.
